Travelers targeting Spain during Holy Week face intensely packed conditions. According to regional tourism breakdowns by platforms such as idealista, city centers in Seville, Granada, and Zamora experience hotel occupancy rates soaring past 90% as early as the Friday preceding Palm Sunday (March 27, 2026).
On Domingo de Ramos, streets fill with families dressed in their finest attire, carrying palm branches braided into intricate geometric patterns. In southern Spain, the brotherhood of La Borriquita historically steps out on Sunday afternoon, representing Jesus riding on a donkey. Children play a central role, processing in white or blue robes while holding towering bleached palm fronds supplied from the groves of Elche.
Across Latin America, public rituals blend local biodiversity with centuries of Catholic liturgy. In Colombia and Ecuador, conservation regulations enforce strict bans on harvesting the endangered wax palm, leading communities to adopt rosemary, wax paper creations, and olive twigs instead. In Mexico, artisans weave palm leaves into intricate crosses and amulets directly outside church atriums, which churchgoers hang behind their home doors for protection throughout the year.
