The Legion arrive in Málaga to carry and process their Christ

The rain stayed away on Thursday for what is for many the highlight of the Semana Santa processions in Málaga. The traditional arrival by boat of the Spanish legion to carrying their Christ, the ‘Santísimo Cristo de la Buena Muerte y Ánimas’ was witnessed by an estimated 10,000, among whom was Antonio Banderas. The legionnaires from the Tercio Don Juan de Austria, based in Viator in Almería, arrived on dock two in the port around noon, only slightly late, and on board the ‘Contramaestre Casado’. 12 horses took the Christ to the Santo Domingo Church from where the legionnaires, took their Christ round the city’s streets in the evening, led by their mascot, a goat. As they process they are famous for lifting the sculpture of Christ on the cross using only one arm each. When doing so they sing the well-known march ‘El novio de la muerte’. The Spanish Legion is full of beliefs and legends – ‘To die in combat is the largest honour. You don’t die more than once. Death comes without pain, and to die is not as horrible as it seems. It’s more horrible to live feeling like a coward’.

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