Inflation or not, the Spaniard eats his torrija at Easter

After two years of strike corona measures, Spaniards are celebrating Samana Santa this week, a long weekend in the run-up to Easter, without restrictions. And while prices for basic amenities in Spain are skyrocketing, that doesn’t stop Spaniards from pulling out their wallets during this holy week.

It is very busy on the Spanish highways. A liter of petrol costs about 1.79 euros, a liter of diesel is around 1.60. A record high in Spain, but that doesn’t stop travelers from taking a trip by car. Many Spaniards have a few days off, so they go out of town, to visit family, friends or to act like a tourist in their own country.

“After being restricted for two years, this time we wanted to take a break anyway,” says Javi Torres at a gas station along the A-42, the highway between the capital Madrid and Toledo. Torres and his family are on their way from Madrid to Ciudad Real, 180 kilometers south of the capital. He doesn’t care that gasoline has become expensive. “If the costs become too much, I will leave the car for a while when I return to Madrid.”

According to David Iglesias of the Spanish Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management DGT, there are about fifteen million Spaniards on the road during Semana Santa. “That’s as many as before the pandemic.” And that means that it takes a lot longer before you arrive at your final destination. It also shows that despite inflation, people still want to get out and pay less attention to the pennies.

processions

In sun-drenched Toledo, in the Castilla-La Mancha region about 75 kilometers south of Madrid, people gather for the various processions that take place on Friday. During the whole Semana Santa, believers walk in a procession with giant Tronosstatues of Jesus and Mary, through the Spanish streets, carried by men – Hombres del trono – who train all year round to lift the heavy works of art off the ground.

The hombres are accompanied by the cofradia, a Christian fraternity clad in robes with pointed hats that cover the face and which have taken on a negative charge over the past hundred years due to the similarity of the Klu Klux Klan dressing. The procession is a penitential procession, in which the suffering of Jesus is relived. Some believers chastise themselves during this march. It is an event that attracts a lot of attention throughout the country, both by domestic and foreign tourists.

The old town of Toledo resembles the set of the series Game of Thrones† The historic buildings, mostly old monasteries and cathedrals, give the Christian festivities an extra dimension. Toledo — also known as the Jerusalem of the West — hopes, like other cities, to draw nationwide tourists with the festivities. For many sectors hit hard during the pandemic, such as the hospitality industry, this is a great opportunity to make some turnover this weekend.

According to the president of the Spanish Confederation of Hotels and Tourist Accommodation (Cehat), Jorge Marichal, Easter reservations are at a similar level to the pandemic and in some places the number of reservations is even higher, such as in the Canary Islands. According to the survey conducted by Cehat, 92 percent of hotels and apartments in Barcelona are full. In Granada and Toledo that is 90 percent† The figures are comparable to those of 2019, before the pandemic and before inflation.

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The same goes for the number of restaurant reservations. According to The Fork, an app that allows you to make reservations at a restaurant, there were 42 percent more reservations than in the same period in 2021. 29 percent more than in 2019, before the pandemic.

So you can cautiously say that inflation is not stopping Spaniards from spending money during this holiday week. But despite the increase in reservations, catering entrepreneurs are concerned. The purchase of products has become more expensive due to the war in Ukraine, so that is passed on to the consumer. The staff of restaurant Botero notice that some customers are limiting orders. “Usually people order different drinks and dishes and stay for hours after dinner, but I see that this time it is different from previous years. People pay more attention to how much they spend,” says Ana Guía, a waitress.

Catering owners are concerned about profit margins, but they are already happy that the restaurants and hotels are filled this weekend.

torrija

On the menu during the holy week is the torrijaSpanish French toast once made by Catholic nuns. To make the perfect torrija you need special bread that is at least a day old. This is then soaked in boiled milk, mixed with cinnamon and sugar, then in egg and then fry in oil over a low heat. These are ingredients that have become more expensive and can hardly be found in some supermarkets, which means that the torrija is now also sold for more in restaurants and bakeries.

“But without a torrija, no Semana Santa,” says the smartly dressed retiree Maria José Pérez as she takes a bite of her freshly made torrija on a terrace in the center of the city. Like most people on the terrace, Perez is in Toledo for a few days to celebrate Semana Santa and see the procession.

Meanwhile, the chorus and drums can be heard in the square of the Church of El Salvador, where the cofradia ready to start that evening’s procession. This time they wear green robes with matching pointed hats. Some have torches. The ‘lords of the throne’ carry a huge statue of Jesus and the cross. Only the feet of the wearers are visible.

When they pause, bystanders bring bottles of water that they slide under the huge canvas so that the porters can take a quick sip before carrying the statues again. With loud cheers and clapping, they gather all their strength to get the baroque statues back in the air. The next group carries a statue of Mary, surrounded by candles. The accompanying procession consists of members of the church holding Bibles. The pastor leads the crowd and pronounces his blessings.

The hundreds of people who line the road to catch a glimpse of the procession look on with emotion. “We haven’t had any festivities for two years, so I’m enjoying it even more now. It’s worth every penny,” says an elderly lady, her eyes filling with tears. “Inflation or not, we will not let anyone or anything take this experience away from us.”