Youngsters in Spain will Miss the Excitement of their First Holy Communion and Economy will Suffer

EASTER is a time in Spain which sees parades and celebrations in every town and village but of course this year, it just won’t happen in the middle of April due to the outbreak of coronavirus Covid-19.

There is a huge amount of effort put into the preparations but it’s suggested that although Easter itself will be celebrated in people’s hearts and homes at the usual time, some form of special post Easter event with parades could take place later in the year.

Spare a thought however for young boys and girls who have regularly attended weekly catechism lessons as they prepared to take their First Holy Communion as not only are they in lockdown but they are going to miss what is often the highlight of the year for the child (normally aged between nine and 10) when they take their communion.

It’s a time of great celebration where the girls are dressed in beautiful white creations which can cost hundreds of euros whilst the boys (not necessarily because they want to) are often dressed in embroidered sailor suits which can also be very expensive.

All of the family and friends have a great celebration taking over restaurants with all of the guests being happy to give a gift to the child (tradition in some areas is that the value of the gift should be at least the same as the likely cost of the meal).

Apart from the disappointed children, there are a large number of shops, seamstresses and restaurants who rely on Holy Communion Celebrations to bolster their takings for the year and they will suffer more than if the lockdown had taken place later in the year.

One final thought for the parents of the children who have missed out as their financial situation may be much worse yet when it is all over they could feel duty bound to give their children this traditional treat.