Holy Tuesday brings us closer to the central days of Holy Week. The liturgy looks towards the Passion, while preparations for the Procession gather pace in Verges. There is still work to do before Maundy Thursday and its great night.
The local memories of rehearsals and preparations below are mainly based on Serrà’s description of 1996. They are not the current programme; arrangements must be confirmed for each edition.
Afternoon and evening rehearsals
Serrà describes how, in the afternoon, the children continued rehearsing and gaining confidence in their movements. By evening, everyone knew whether they should be in the square or the Placeta. Punctuality mattered: a coordinated scene depended on everyone being in place.
Serrà describes rehearsals of the falls and the Crucifixion, with fewer jokes and more attention to detail as the performance approached. The work continues over the following days: according to the Association, the full rehearsal for the performance in the square takes place on Holy Wednesday. Each edition’s calendar sets out the arrangements.
Costumes and processional statues
Serrà also describes costume distribution at the parish centre that Tuesday. Participants waited for their names to be called to collect the clothes they would wear on Thursday. It was a time of reunion and anticipation: the character they had been rehearsing for days was beginning to take shape.
The same account describes volunteers moving the misteris, the sculpted processional groups, from the church to their neighbourhood locations after rehearsal. There they were ready for the neighbours to decorate, as we will see in Maundy Thursday morning. The exact day of the move or costume collection may vary with each year’s arrangements.
The Holy Tuesday Gospel
At Holy Tuesday Mass, the Gospel passage from John tells of Jesus announcing that one of his disciples will betray him and warning Peter of his denials (Jn 13:21-33,36-38). The story takes place during the meal; its reading on Tuesday does not date the historical betrayal or arrest to that day.
Jesus gives Judas a piece of dipped bread, while Peter promises to follow him even at the cost of his life. The warning of three denials reveals the gap between the disciples’ promises and their human frailty. In the Verges performance, the Last Supper and the Garden of Gethsemane follow these episodes.
Following the preparations
The April 2026 parish bulletin listed Tuesday Mass at 7 pm. Each year’s Holy Week bulletin will confirm any special arrangements. See the programme for rehearsals and Procession events; the day-by-day guide places Tuesday within the week.
Market, costumes and statues in the 1996 account
Serrà explains that, on Holy Tuesday in 1996, the market moved to the Placeta while work continued on the stage in the plaça Major. In the evening she describes the dress rehearsal and costume distribution at the parish centre: labelled bags, sizes and sandals arranged to make collection easier.
After the rehearsal, work remained to move the statues to the places where they would be decorated. This sequence documents the organisation of that edition. It does not contradict other timetables placing the square’s dress rehearsal on Wednesday: the year, group and type of rehearsal must be distinguished before comparing announcements.
Sources for this addition
Màriam Serrà, Verges i la processó que no es veu (1998), pp. 77–80. Account of Holy Week in 1996.
