• This distinction, awarded by the Council of Europe, will allow it to position itself as a cultural attraction of recognized value throughout Europe

19.01.2021.- The European Network of Holy Week and Easter Celebrations has presented its candidacy as a European Cultural Itinerary at the FITUR International Tourism Event (Madrid, Spain) that will allow it to position itself as a cultural attraction of recognized value throughout Europe.

The presentation took place at the Stand of Andalusia and they have participated the president of the European Network of Holy Week and Easter Celebrations, María Luisa Ceballos; Julio Grande Ibarra, coordinator of the Scientific Committee of the European Network of Holy Week and Easter Celebrations; María Agúndez, Deputy Deputy Director of the General Secretariat of Management and Coordination of Cultural Assets of the Ministry of Culture and Sports of the Government of Spain; Sergio Ortega, Head of the Heritage Protection and European Programs Service of the General Subdirectorate for the Management and Coordination of Cultural Assets of the Ministry of Culture of the Government of Spain; Stefano Dominioni, Executive Secretary of the Extended Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe and director of the European Institute of Cultural Routes; and Eladio Fernández-Galiano, special advisor to the Cultural Itineraries Program of the Council of Europe.

Also present were Encarnación Giráldez, manager of the European Network for Holy Week and Easter Celebrations; Juan Pérez Guerrero, mayor of Lucena (Spain); Rosaroi Andújar, mayor of Osuna (Spain); David Javier García Ostos, mayor of Écija (Seville); Juan Manuel Ávila, Mayor of Carmona (Spain); Mª Teresa Alonso Montejo, Councilor for Tourism of Lucena (Spain); Mariola Rocamora, councilor of Orihuela (Spain); Fernando Priego, Mayor of Cabra (Spain); Ana Carrillo, councilor of Puente Genil (Spain); Francisco Casas, councilor of Cabra (Spain); Jezabel Ramírez Soriano, Councilor for Tourism, Priego de Córdoba (Spain); Dr. Marco Sousa, representative of the Holy Week Commission of Braga (Portugal); Francisco Morales González, Deputy Mayor and Councilor for Tourism of Lorca (Spain); Jesús Heredia, Councilor for Tourism of Osuna; and Sergio Gómez, councilor of Écija (Spain).

The candidature as a European Cultural Itinerary of the European Network of Holy Week and Easter Celebrations aims to be representative of all the Holy Week and Easter celebrations of different religious confessions that are celebrated in Europe, Catholic and also Orthodox. In this sense, the Network wants to establish itself as a model for the conservation and study of the social, cultural and religious heritage that these traditions make up.

Launched by the Council of Europe in 1987, European Cultural Routes are an invitation to travel and discover Europe’s rich and diverse heritage by bringing people and places together in networks of shared history and heritage. They put into practice the values ​​of the Council of Europe: human rights, cultural diversity, intercultural dialogue and mutual exchanges across borders.

More than 30 Cultural Itineraries of the Council of Europe offer a large number of leisure and educational activities for all citizens, being key resources for responsible tourism and sustainable development. They cover a wide range of topics, from architecture, landscape, religious influences, gastronomy, intangible heritage, leading figures in European art, music and literature.

Certification as a Cultural Route of the Council of Europe is a guarantee of excellence. The networks implement innovative activities and projects that belong to five priority fields of action: cooperation in research and development; enhancement of European memory, history and heritage; cultural and educational exchanges for young Europeans; contemporary cultural and artistic practice; cultural tourism and sustainable cultural development. Through its program, the Council of Europe provides a model for transnational cultural and tourism management and enables synergies between national, regional and local authorities and a wide range of socio-economic associations and actors.

More about the European Network

The European Network of Holy Week and Easter celebrations was created in 2019 and is part of the Italian Federico II Foundation, representing the municipalities of Palermo and Caltanissetta, of Sicily (Italy); the municipality of Birgu in Malta; the Commission for Lent and Holy Week Celebrations in Braga, in Portugal; the Representations of the Passion of Christ in Skofja Loka, Slovenia; the municipalities that are part of the Caminos de Pasión route: Alcalá la Real in Jaén, Baena, Cabra, Lucena, Priego de Córdoba and Puente Genil in Córdoba and Carmona, Écija, Osuna and Utrera in Seville. Also within the Spanish geography we find Orihuela in Alicante; Lorca in Murcia and Viveiro in Lugo.

Its objective is to promote and disseminate cultural heritage, both tangible and intangible, related to the celebrations of Holy Week and Easter through actions that enhance this heritage, promote sustainable tourism development around it and contribute to safeguard the intangible heritage through scientific and research work. In the same way, its main purpose is to join forces and synergies to consolidate a model for the study, safeguarding and dissemination of the heritage of the traditions of Holy Week and Easter in Europe.