Easter Twelfth is organized by the City Council, the Diocese of Viana do Castelo and the Business Association of Viana do Castelo, in collaboration with Vianafestas, with a program that combines the religious with the profane, combining faith and devotion with leisure and lots of entertainment.
The program includes the Easter Table – Easter Delicacies Fair, presented in the Plaza de la República in the days leading up to the celebration, with gastronomic products associated with this religious festival.
The big novelty, in 2024, was the realization of the Mayordomía del Señor de los Pasos, with a tour of the main streets of the historic center, associating faith with music and different regional costumes.
On the morning of Palm Sunday, the religious program includes the Blessing and Procession of Palms, with Mass of the Passion in the Cathedral of Viana do Castelo. In the afternoon, the Prayer of Vespers and the Procession of the Lord of the Steps, with a Sermon of Encounter in the Plaza de la República.
On Holy Thursday, the Cathedral of Viana hosts the Chrism Mass, the Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper, with the washing of feet and presentation of offerings for the poor and the Procession of the Blessed Sacrament. That evening, the city promotes the traditional Visit to Churches and Chapels, in a religious itinerary through more than two dozen religious spaces in Viana do Castelo.