Last week (the week leading into Easter Sunday), Semana Santa was celebrated. Semana Santa, or "Holy Week," is a major liturgical celebration/season for all Catholics worldwide and the Resurrection of Christ is celebrated by Christians in general (not just Catholics). They celebrate the Passion, the death, and the resurrection. In Andalucia, the south of Spain, Semana Santa is a HUGE deal. For Sevilla it is one of the most important weeks of the whole year. (Pretty sure it's bigger than Christmas).
Religious parades: Churches spend alot of time and money prepare for what I'll call parades. These parades are religious processions that signify taking Jesus to the cross. There are what I'll call floats for simplicity. There are only 2 floats and they are the most important parts of everything: La Virgin and Jesus.These huge and heavy gold adorned floats are carried by a team of men concealed underneath. The processions are miles long, literally from one end of the city to the other. They go down the narrowest streets and have to be very precise and careful because the floats are hundreds if not thousands of years old. The oldest and largest Churches each have their own processions and they have tons of people in them. The hardest part to get accustomed to: the NAZARENOS. The nazarenos are the ones with the cone shaped hats. As an american you automatically jump to the KKK conclusion (who were inspired by nazarenos). It's completely the opposite but still very impactful. These nazarenos carry large candles and crosses. In the past it was only men but now includes women and children. Some still walk barefoot as a way to simulate repentance.
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| A shoe store...get you easter shoes now! |
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| same shoe store with a nazareno. |
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| Another shoe store with the Virgin. |
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| The American way: Easter bunnies |
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| I went to a procession in a small town with my family. |
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| Host dad and brother: the Pedros |
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| The ladies :) |
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| A procession in Seville |
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| barefoot and with huge crosses to carry |
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| they gave out candy. like halloween. |
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| there's also a very loud band. |
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| adorable :) |
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| La virgin |
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| There are also very expensive seats in the center of the city, by the cathedral. |
All in all I think it was definitely a cultural event that can only be understood by seeing. Unfortunately, the biggest, best, oldest, and most important processions didn't take place this year...for the first time in almost 80 years due to rain. It was pouring all week and weekend. Churches have been preparing for months for this so it was a huge blow. Plus people travel to Seville to see the processions. Guess that means I'll have to come back one day just to complete the experience.
