La Semana Santa in Seville

Feliz Pascua! Happy Easter! There was hardly any time to rest after coming back from Gran Canaria this past week. When we arrived in Sevilla, Semana Santa was in full swing. At first, I wasn’t totally excited to return to a city packed with tourists, but I was wrong. Now I did miss my personal space when I was in the crowds, but overall I really enjoyed watching the processions.

Semana Santa is the week before Easter, starting at Palm Sunday (Domingo de Ramos) until Easter Sunday (La Pascua). During the entire week, brotherhoods (hermandades) from churches throughout Sevilla had processions. At the focal point of each procession, there was either a Virgin Mary or a demonstration of different parts of Christ’s path to his resurrection. (The Last Supper, Judas’s kiss, the Trial, Jesus carrying the cross, Jesus on the cross, and the Resurrection are some examples) Historically, the brotherhoods did this to teach the non-Christian community of the city about Jesus Christ. It was a form of evangelism. Now it is a famous event known all around the world.

The processions consist of Nazarenos, the people who hold the candles and wear the pointed hats to hide their identity, and the paso, or float, featuring the Virgin Mary or Christ. The paso is not pulled by a truck or SUV though, instead about 40 men called costaleros are underneath the paso, carrying it down the street. It is a form of art to carry this, and these men practice all year for this walk.

Nazarenos in one of the processions.

Costaleros waiting to carry the paso

Costaleros changing positions under the pasos.

The goal for the processions is to walk from their church all the way to the Cathedral, and back. Depending on how far away the church is from the Cathedral, the processions could be walking in the street for 6 to 14 hours. 14 hours straight walking to the Cathedral and back, plus carrying a paso-not an easy task if I say so myself. I saw a fair amount of pasos-all were unique in their own way. I even went out during the Madrugá (Thursday night-early Friday morning-the most intense part of the week) to watch two of the most famous processions: La Esperanza de La Macarena and La Esperanza de Triana.

The long walk to the Cathedral

Pasos heading to the Cathedral

La Esperanza de Triana

A paso squeezing its way through the tight streets

The candle is taller than this young Nazareno.

It. Was. Crazy. It seemed like the whole world came to see these two virgins. I was insane enough to actually make my way to the front of the Macarena’s church to watch the Virgin leave. Packed like sardines in the street, the crowd went crazy when she came out. People would yell, “Macareeeeeena!” and others would respond, “Guapa! Guapa! Guapa!” (meaning ‘beautiful’ in Spanish) After a few meters of walking, the paso would stop in front of an open window and someone would sing to the Virgin from the balcony. It was like nothing I have ever seen before in my life.

Church of the Macarena

La Macareeeena!

I watched the Esperanza de Triana march over what else? – The Triana Bridge. ☺ This paso was stunning as well. Under the natural light from the moon, the paso swayed at a slow, steady pace over the bridge. Candlelight from huge candles flickered warmly on the Virgin’s face, and the white flowers created a stunning touch.

By the end MY night (there were still processions going on throughout the city) it was 5am. Semana Santa in Sevilla is truly a beautiful, unique, one-in-a-lifetime experience that I will never forget.

Crossing the Triana Bridge