Children's Thirds Parade

Holy Saturday afternoon

Although some brotherhoods hold a small parade with the children's groups on the afternoon of Holy Wednesday, it is on the eve of Easter Sunday when the children of Holy Week in Cieza have their big brotherhood celebration, with the joyful and crowded parade of the children's groups.

Each brotherhood brings out its children dressed in the brotherhood's robes, and they parade handing out sweets, followed by a small throne created specifically so that its light weight can be carried on the shoulders of those who, tomorrow, will have to carry the floats of the Holy Week in Cieza; and it is already surprising to see how they mark the ordinary pace to the sound of the music played by the different bands.

Departure time: 5:30 pm ("Plaza Mayor", Dormis Museum, House-Museum of the Brotherhood of Saint Mary Magdalene, House-Museum of the Royal Brotherhood of Our Lady of Grace and Hope, House-Museum of the Brotherhood of Most Holy Christ of Consolation or various garages adjacent to the Holy Week Museum, depending on the Brotherhood).
Arrival time: approximately 8:00 pm ("Plaza Mayor", Dormis Museum, House-Museum of the Brotherhood of Saint Mary Magdalene, House-Museum of the Royal Brotherhood of Our Lady of Grace and Hope, House-Museum of the Brotherhood of Most Holy Christ of Consolation or various garages adjacent to the Holy Week Museum, depending on the Brotherhood).
Route to the Corner of the Convent: the brotherhoods are divided into two groups:
· "Cánovas del Castillo" or "Cartas", "Buitragos", "San Sebastián" and Corner of the Convent.
· "Cánovas del Castillo" or "Empedrá", "Santo Cristo", "Tercia", "Angostos", "Mesones" and Corner of the Convent.
Route after the Corner of the Convent: Corner of the Convent, "Paseo" (left side), "Santa Ana", "Buen Suceso", "Angostos", "Tercia", "Santo Cristo", "Cánovas del Castillo", "San Pedro" and "Plaza Mayor".
Order of procession: the following children's floats: The Angel (Brotherhood of The Prayer in the Garden and The Holy Sepulchre), The Samaritan Woman (Brotherhood of The Samaritan Woman), The Betrayal of Judas (Brotherhood of the Descent from the Cross and the Kiss of Judas), Roman Third of the Holy Sepulchre, Saint Peter (Brotherhood of Saint Peter the Apostle), The Flagellation (Brotherhood of the Most Holy Christ of the Agony), Our Lady of Hope in the Resurrection (Royal Brotherhood of Our Lady of Grace and Hope), Saint Veronica (Brotherhood of Saint Veronica), Saint Mary Salome (Royal Brotherhood of Jesus -Nazarene-), Saint Mary Magdalene (Brotherhood of Saint Mary Magdalene), Saint John (Brotherhood of Saint John the Evangelist), Our Lady of Sorrows (Brotherhood of the Most Holy Virgin of Sorrows), Risen Jesus (Brotherhood of the Risen Jesus) and Most Holy Virgin of Beautiful Love (Brotherhood of the Most Holy Christ of Forgiveness and Most Holy Virgin of Beautiful Love), all parading with the children's groups of their respective Brotherhoods and marching bands.

Unique features and suggestions: The pre-Easter Sunday celebration takes place on Saturday afternoon, where the children take center stage, parading enthusiastically, truly delighted to have a space in Holy Week that is entirely theirs, and no children's event of this caliber can be found anywhere else in the country.

No visitor should miss the moment when the processions converge at the Convent Corner and the children strive to perform the 'Dance of the Saints' as well as the adults. The event draws a massive crowd of children, their families, and the extraordinary number of locals and visitors who come to enjoy this grand children's festival.

What is truly remarkable is the skill with which the people of Cieza educate their children from a very young age, teaching them the unique way of parading with the floats, ensuring that one of the defining characteristics of Holy Week is not lost. Furthermore, by reserving one of the most magnificent moments of the festivities for the children, they foster a sense of belonging to the brotherhoods and nurture the future of this tradition.

From a heritage point of view, it is worth highlighting that most of the images in the parade (up to seven) are the work (all of them early) of the young sculptor Antonio Jesús Yuste Navarro, a local artist who already has a nationally recognized career, which completes the unequivocally Ciezan imprint of this massive family celebration that is Holy Saturday in our town.

Photograph by José María Cámara.
© Board of Passionate Brotherhoods of Cieza

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