In the States - and much of the rest of the world - Easter isn't half the big deal that Christmas is. This is pretty strange, because really it should be. Easter is a much more important event in the Christian calendar than Christmas. However, because Christmas became conflated with ancient pagan midwinter festivals it's been celebrated with a bang for nearly two thousand years.
Easter is supposed to be an altogether more solemn, reflective occasion - and in most of the US and northern Europe it's treated that way. Head to Spain at Easter time, however, and you could be in for a very different experience. In certain areas there's a traditional Judas-burning festival over Easter weekend. This isn't confined to once area, but can be found in Madrid, Andalusia (in the south) and the Basque country (in the north). A figure of Judas, usually made of paper, rags or straw, is burnt on a huge bonfire. It's not a good idea to stand too close, as the interior of the figure will be packed with fireworks, which, when the flames get too close to them, tend to go off all at once. This being Spain, and the average Spaniard not caring too much for his own country's health and safety laws, you might not see much in the way of crowd barriers. This isn't the result of a lack of concern for safety, but rather of a typically southern European attitude that everyone should just use their common sense - and if they don't, too bad.
There's more fun to be had elsewhere. If you find yourself in the Finisterra ('end of the earth') region of north west Spain, it's worth paying a visit to La Coruna. Every Easter you can see a local mystery play being performed. This 'mystery' isn't a detective story or the tale of a murder - the name refers to what Christians consider the eternal mystery of Christ's Passion. Mystery plays - which are sometimes also called 'passion plays' - used to be performed all over Europe in the days before most people could read and when all Bibles were only available in Latin. The idea was that the basic message of the Easter story could be got over to the masses. As literacy increased and vernacular translations of the gospels were published, they fell from favour. However, some mystery plays can be seen every year, notably in the UK, France and Spain. La Coruna's is usually particularly impressive, performed, like all mystery plays, outside, and with the Atlantic Ocean as a backdrop.
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