Holy Week in Seville (Semana Santa)
Holy Week is known as 'Semana Santa' in Spain and is most widely celebrated
in the towns and cities of Andalucia. In Seville it is one of the city's two
biggest annual festivals along with the
April Fair (Feria de Abril) which
follows two weeks later.
Semana Santa takes place the week leading up to the Easter weekend and consists
of processions in which enormous 'pasos' (floats) are carried around the streets
of Seville by teams of 'costaleros' (bearers) followed by hundreds of
'nazarenos' (penitents). Many of these floats are religious works of art that
date back as far as the 17th century, each showing a small part of the Easter
story.
Throughout the city thousands of people line the streets waiting to catch a
glimpse of the processions, each of which takes many hours between leaving its
parish and returning there after following a set route around the city. Each of
over 50 brotherhoods (cofradías) have two floats so you can imagine the enormity
of the occasion.
For the 'costaleros' who carry the float it's a once in a
lifetime honour to do so as the numbers wishing to be carriers far
outnumbers the places available. Heavy rains in 2004 and 2005 caused
the cancellation of many processions and grown men were left crying
in the streets knowing they would never again get the opportunity to
be a 'costalero'.
The carrying of the floats tends to be a male dominated activity as
the floats often weigh over 2000kg and it takes many months of
practice before the big day. On average there are 40 'costaleros' per
float with each one supporting a weight of around 50kg for around 8
hours.
In some towns smaller and lighter floats are carried by females
though few take part in the "classic" Semana Santa celebrations of
the main Andaluz cities of Seville, Malaga, Granada, Cordoba and
Huelva.
Following the float penitents are dressed in capes and ku klux klan
looking head gear. This hides their identity, the meaning being that
God is the only one who knows who they are.
Semana Santa is a religious occasion and the mood of each day's
procession changes from the opening ones on Palm Sunday to the
sombre ones of Good Friday which depict the crucifiction of Christ
and finally the joyous ones of Easter Sunday which celebrate
Christ's resurrection from the dead.
The Good Friday processions
leave churches at midnight and are carried throughout the night with
huge crowds following their every step. A particular highlight of
note is around 3am when La Macarena, Seville's most revered Virgin,
reaches the official route. It's usually around 6am when the gipsy
(gitano) brotherhood reaches the same place.
Visitors from all over Spain and many foreigners are present in
Seville for the Semana Santa celebrations. The festival goes way
beyond a merely religious event and is a fantastic time to be in the
city but be sure to book accommodation well in advance as hotels get
fully booked months earlier.
The obvious way to enjoy the processions is to find a spot amongst
the crowds and wait for the floats to go by. Their movement is very
slow so once they come into view you may well be able to see them
for a long time. Every float leaves its parish and heads for the
official route from the north of C/Sierpes via Avda de la
Constitución to the Cathedral where they enter from the west and
depart fro the east to return to their starting place. Check routes
at www.semana-santa.org.
Another interesting way to appreciate the enormity and the beauty of
the floats is to visit the church where they come from. Two of note
are in the Basílica de la Macarena and the Basílica de Jesús del
Gran Poder which are west of the main tourist area. Here you'll see
a constant stream of parishioners dropping into their church to pay
tribute to the Virgin and admire the beautiful floats which reside
inside.
Seville City Tours and Excursions
Pre-book excursions to Jerez, Sanlucar and beyond or city tapas tours and
flamenco performances.
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