Spain Events and Festivals

6/14/2009 - 6/14/2009Corpus Christi

This is Toledo's most important festival and has been held since the 15th century. The city's historic streets witness a procession in which the gold and silver monstrance, weighing about 160 kilos, is borne on the shoulders of the faithful, with a retinue of followers from the different religious fraternities and guilds. During the weeks beforehand, the route is decorated with awnings, wreaths and lanterns. The day before the walls, windows and balconies are adorned with antique pennants and tapestries and the ground is strewn with aromatic herbs and flowers. At midday on the day of Corpus Christi the bells peal out announcing the emergence of the procession from the cathedral. Many of the courtyards of the city's historic mansions and stately homes are thrown open for the occasion, and there is a programme of concerts, shows and sports competitions in the week leading up to Corpus Christi.