Tamborada of Hellin

Not for the faint hearted, The 'Tamborada’ of Hellín, is a very noisy event and is one of the most famous and well-known celebrations in the province of Albacete, where adults and children take to the streets of the town, their number exceeding 20,000 drummers, wearing black tunics with a red neckerchief or a black hood. The first drumming session takes place on the night of the Friday before Palm Sunday, when they celebrate the Via Crucis of the Torches. As a preparation and in order to warm up the drums, an increasing number of drummers head towards the Calvary without their black tunics, in a pilgrimage that lasts until the wee hours of the following day. The Wednesday right before Holy Thursday , at three pm, begins the second big drumming session. All the people flock to the streets, wearing their tunics and carrying their drums and, in groups of friends, they walk through the streets of town until 11 pm, which marks the beginning of the procession of the Oración del Huerto [Prayer in the Grove].