Easter Week in Híjar

Holy Week in the town of Híjar is a celebration in which the powerful sound of drums takes centre stage.

Híjar is home to one of the oldest drum-beating traditions in the region. According to local accounts, its origins date back to 1517, when the Duke of Híjar asked the Franciscan friars to organise a Holy Week celebration with a strong emphasis on penitence.

Known locally as the tamborrada, the celebration shares the drum-centred traditions found in other towns across Bajo Aragón as part of the Route of the Drum. Festivities begin at midnight on Maundy Thursday with the Rompida, the moment the drumming starts following a signal from the mayor.

The drums resound throughout the night until around 2 a.m., when a distinctive procession known as the rosarieros, or despertadores, sets off. The participants stop at 14 locations corresponding to the Stations of the Cross, singing ancient religious chants at each one. Once the procession has finished, the drumming resumes, continuing Híjar’s deeply rooted Holy Week tradition.