It’s arguably the most important holiday of the year in Spain, at least in the religious southernmost region of Andalucia.
Semana Santa, or Holy Week, kicks off this Sunday and will see a week of solemn marches and parades throughout major cities, including Malaga, Sevilla, Granada, Cordoba and Jerez de la Frontera.
Millions of locals fill the streets to witness the holy parades and pay their respects to Jesus, Mary Magdalene and other religious figures.
But this year a storm is brewing, literally, as Storm Olivier is set to bring yet more rain the region, which has just suffered its wettest March in years.
According to state weather agency Aemet, Andalucia will remain very mild for the first half of this week, with highs of 28C predicted in some areas on Wednesday.
But on Thursday, rain storms will arrive and could stick around until Holy Tuesday.
Aemet told Europa Press that the whole province will experience rainfall, but the western half will be worst hit.
That includes Sevilla and Jerez, arguably the biggest and most important Semana Santa celebrations in Spain.
It means the processions on Palm Sunday are under threat of being called off, although meteorologists urged for calm given how much forecasts can change when made almost a week in advance.
They also said it was ‘still too early’ to determine the extent of the rain, but that Saturday would see the most.
An improvement in conditions is expected for the second half of Holy Week.
Last year saw all processions cancelled in Sevilla on Holy Thursday due to Storm Nelson, alongside processions in Cadiz and Huelva.
