Easter celebration in Spain is a manifestation of ancient rituals that provide glimpses to the country's fiercely religious history.
The Easter Week, known in Spain as "Semana Santa", begins with the "Domingo de Ramos" (Palm Sunday) and ends with "Lunes de Pascua" (Easter Monday).
Easter traditions and rituals are marked by regional flavors across the length and breadth of Spain.
In this blog we are going to talk about Easter in Seville, one of the most important and beautiful cities in the region of Andalucia, Spain.
First of all, don't be scared if you see people dressed in a habit and with a pointed hood ("capirote"), nothing as bad as the Ku Klux Klan (KKK)! these are the traditional clothes for some of the Seville's Easter Parades ("procesiones").
Easter in Seville is one of the most important traditional events of the city, one to two weeks before the city's other great celebration, the "Feria", and is amongst the largest religious event in Spain, internationally renowned for its drama. Religious devotion, art, colour and music combine in acts to commemorate the death of Jesus Christ. Members of the different Easter brotherhoods, dressed in their characteristic robes, parades through the streets carrying religious statues to the sound of drums and music – scenes of sober beauty.
The week features the procession of "pasos", floats of lifelike wooden sculptures of individual scenes of the events of the Passion, or images of the Virgin Mary showing restrained grief for the torture and killing of her son. They are Baroque statues with silver and gold crowns, embroidered cloaks and velvet tunics which only reveal face and hands. Some of the sculptures are of great antiquity and are considered artistic masterpieces. They carry the pasos on their shoulders.
Approximately 60 processions are scheduled for the week, from Palm Sunday through to Easter Sunday morning. The climax of the week is the night of Maundy Thursday, when the most popular processions set out to arrive at the Cathedral on the dawn of Good Friday, known as the "madrugá".
The processions are organized by hermandades and cofradías, religious brotherhoods. During the processions, members precede the pasos (of which there are up to three in each procession) dressed in penitential robes, and, with few exceptions, hoods.
They may also be accompanied by brass bands.
The processions work along a designated route from their home churches and chapels to the Cathedral, usually via a central viewing area and back. The processions from the suburban barrios may take 14 hours to return to their home churches. They must all pass the so-called “official section”, which starts in "Calle Campana" (Bell Street) and finishes passing through the Cathedral.
The "saetas" are very emotional moments of the processions: these are flamenco songs, recited a cappella from the balconies in honour of the statues.
The early hours of Good Friday constitute the most important time of the Seville Easter week celebrations. That day, some of the most venerated statues make their way through the streets, such as "Jesús del Gran Poder", "la Macarena" (not the song!), "la Esperanza de Triana" and "el Cristo de los Gitanos". The streets of the city fill with people and with emotion all night and well into the following morning. We would, however, recommend patience, because the waits to admire these beautiful statues tend to be long.
Without doubt the local heroes of the night are the lads who carry the thrones. Always hidden away in Seville, but you might catch a glimpse when they pop out for a well earned drink.
You can see processions by heading for any point on their routes, except in the official section. Here there are seats and stands from which to admire the passing processions. If you would like to reserve a place, contact the "Consejo Superior de Hermandades y Cofradías" (Brotherhoods’ Association) on tel. +34 902 995 275, or via their website: www.hermandades-de-sevilla.org
From Holy Thursday to Easter Sunday traffic is closed off in city centres and the solemn processions take over in the afternoons (so be sure to do your shopping in the morning). The aroma of burning candles, the passionate strains of a late night saeta and the mournful trumpets that accompany images of Christ and the Virgin Mary create an other-wordly ambience that can transport even the most casual observer to another time and place. You will never see anything like it again.
Seville has various shops dedicated to the sale of "Nazareno" robes, including sandles and "Capirotes". Many of these shops can be found on the "Calle Alcaiceria de la Loza". The cone shape "Capirote" are made to measure while you wait.
Up to one million people attend the celebrations of Holy Week in Seville, that is why you should book your hotel or apartment for holy week in Seville with more than three months in advance to make sure you find lodging to your liking.
Also, it's worth to plan a stay during the beginning of the week, since from thursday on it is holiday in Spain and the city gets (over)crowded. The chances to find flights, good lodging and enjoy better views over the processions and the city itself are considerably higher from sunday to wednesday.
Another big city famous for their "Semana Santa" celebrations is Malaga, but you can find Easter processions in almost all the big cities of Spain and some small towns/villages too.
