“Nazarenos” follow, with candles, torches, or wooden crosses.
Otherwise known as Holy Week, Semana Santa is celebrated in Portugal every year and includes plenty of religious processions, including the visual standout: Sao Bras de Alportel, which is the celebration of the flowers and lights that surround the city center. The celebrations begin on the Saturday evening that precedes Palm Sunday and end on Easter Sunday and throughout visitors can expect to see processions that include floats, each depicting a scene from the Easter story, carried by individuals called “costaleros.” “Nazarenos” follow, with candles, torches, or wooden crosses. Typically, the most somber begin the week and the most joyous and colorful are experienced as you approach Easter Sunday.