Holy Week in Murcia
The Brotherhood of Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno returns to the streets of the capital in anticipation of hundreds of people who yearned for his return after not going through the procession due to the pandemic and the rain
A ray of sunshine was never so expected. 4 years. 1,476 days. It has taken too long for La Santa Cena, the first step of the ‘Salzillos’ procession, to see the light. A light that hundreds of Murcians waited for at the gates of the Church of Nuestro Padre Jesús from minutes before 8:00 on the morning of this Good Friday.
Nerves. Impatience. Fervor. Applause. And you win. Very eager. Inside and outside the private church. Inside, faces of happiness tinted purple hidden behind the mask, new protagonist. Outside, in the Plaza de San Agustín, nostalgic faces merged with numerous mobiles prepared for action: capturing perhaps the most anticipated moment of Holy Week in Murcia.
Emilio Llanas, president of the Brotherhood of Jesus of Murcia, spoke shortly before 8:00 a.m. inside the church, where there was not room for a soul: “We are very excited. Thanks to all the Nazarenes and authorities for being here. The day has come. Today we go out again. Today we do not take out a museum in the center of Murcia, we take out the soul and the love for God. Good procession », he concluded. A few minutes later, Good Friday really began.
One of the most emblematic processions of the capital of the Region of Murcia, that of the Brotherhood of Nuestro Padre Jesús, once again toured the streets of the city that has longed for it so much. 8:12 a.m. That was the exact time the butler struck the final blow. The most necessary push. The most awaited notice. A few minutes after the first banner, preceded by the first horns, opened once and for all the doors that had been closed for too long.
Penitentes, portapasos and a band headed through the neighborhood of San Andrés towards San Antolín with a single goal: to enjoy again, savor the glory of displaying the eight steps of the sculptor Francisco Salzillo and the image that is by an anonymous author but is owned by all the Murcian hearts.
Few words
“We have been waiting for this moment for a long time. I can’t describe it in words. Today is a happy day. What do I say happy? Very happy, “says Agustín, a Nazarene of the procession of the ‘Salzillos’ moments before leaving the church. Happiness breathes the Nazarenes ‘moraos’, a joy that reflects his gaze even if there is a hood in between.
The hands of the clock kept turning as San Andrés continued to fill. The Plaza de San Agustín and the surrounding area never stopped arriving. Among many, numerous Moorish penitents waiting their turn, such as the case of Rafael Millán, butler of the brotherhood of Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno: «It’s been 4 years without being able to go out and in my case two more due to a knee problem. What I feel right now I can’t explain. There are many feelings that crowd in a moment. I’m very happy”.
Slow pace, leisurely. With the overflowing joy of reconnecting with the streets of Murcia, the procession of the ‘Salzillos’ began gradually. It was not until 8:40 a.m. when the second step, Prayer in the Garden, crossed the door of the church accompanied by applause and the sound of dozens of cameras waiting for him to leave.
Gloria Beltrán and Isabel Cano, penitents of Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno, moments before leaving. /
prayers to heaven
An exit, that of these first images, which Gloria Beltrán and Isabel Cano, penitents of Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno, did not want to miss: «We are very happy and excited. We wanted this day to come. We have been praying for a long time that it will not rain on us again. It is an indescribable feeling, very exciting. Seeing the steps, the companions, the people waiting… is a very beautiful tradition». “We can’t wait to get out, but we came to see the start because we love the atmosphere and we have to be there.”
Well yes. This time the rain has not tarnished Good Friday in Murcia. The sun had been waiting its turn for a long time to return to see the ‘moraos’ penitents in procession through the streets of the capital. “It is a very intense feeling. We were really looking forward to it. In my case, in addition, the whole family went out: four children, my wife and I. It is a moment of great emotion and an opportunity to accompany Our Father Jesus and go alone with the cross. It is a very special moment”, José Antonio García pointed out, before getting under the hood of the color that floods Murcia this morning: the ‘morao’ of the ‘Salzillos’.
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