Seville during Semana Santa is an incredible, once in a lifetime experience that allows you to dive headfirst into the heart and soul of Spanish culture. Semana Santa (Holy Week) is celebrated the week leading up to Easter by the procession of pasos (floats covered in elaborate design with candles and flowers, depicting Jesus Christ or Mary). The processions are led by marching bands and the famous hooded figures (from which the KKK took their inspiration), called hermandades (brotherhoods).
The pasos are extremely heavy and are usually carried by 20-50 men, who have the task of carrying the huge thing for hours, setting it down at specific moments, then, altogether, jumping upwards, their feet leaving the ground with the effort, and continuing on their trek to the main Cathedral to the boisterous applause of the crowd.
You know something big is going down when you arrive in Seville and this is the first thing you see..
I've never seen so many orange trees in one place- they line almost every street.
Plaza de Espana during one of the frequent rainshowers of the trip.
A garden I spent some time in after it rained.
from my journal on 3/20:
"Sevilla is fantastic! There are orange trees lining every main street, and their scent is like the sweetest, most alluring perfume. I am in the Alcazar's garden, having just visited the Catedral de Sevilla and climbed to the top of the tower, rain pouring down and adding an even stronger sense of weight to the already solemn setting. Every surface outside is wet and glistening, and the many trees and ivy in this garden are shimmering with the rain-bright gleam of the afternoon shower.
Some kids in front of me just started an impromptu game of futbol with one of the many oranges littering the ground. Someone is clacking a pair of castanets in the distance, doves are cooing contentedly in a nearby tree, there are giant palms standing sentinel behind the castle walls, and the scent of orange blossoms is everywhere. What a magnificent city."
Torre de Oro
Every now and then you would see a nazareno walking through crowds on their way to one of the churches to prepare for the evening's procession. I know it's silly and a bit ignorant, but seeing them on the street took my breath away because I couldn't help but think of the Klan. It was quite spooky, really.
The beautiful Catedral de Sevilla
Look at the front angel's body- I was told that that is the largest pearl in the world.
It is said that the flamenco in Seville is the best in all of Spain.
Traditional dress worn by women on Maundy Thursday, called La Mantilla (the mantle).
The beginning of the procession, led by the Cruz de Guia (Guiding Cross).
Penitentes making public penance.
I am definitely smack dab in the middle of the procession at the moment. I had to cross the street, and it was almost impossible, but it wasn't disrespectful to do so, don't worry. Kids run up and down the street, constantly pushing their way into the procession to try to catch wax from the long candles so they can make these giant balls of wax. It's nuts.
The whole city is basically shut down on Maundy Thursday- I stayed up fairly late to watch the processions and then left the hostel at 5AM to catch my 7:30 bus to Cordoba and the processions were still going strong. In fact, I think more people were out in the early hours of the morning than they had been the night before, and they were really raising a ruckus, cheering and applauding as the pasos edged along the street like a herd of huge lumbering animals.
Seville was a great, great trip. I am so grateful for the chance to really embrace a foreign culture and become so immersed in it, especially one as rich and intriguing as Spain's. What a sweet blessing.
