Semana Santa

So, things have been busy.   Sorry for the absence.  

Updates:  

• My face is looking very normal now and is sooo close to being totally back to normal!  Hooray!! 
• HOT weather hit Sevilla a couple weeks ago and it was consistently in the 80’s until a freak cold front this week.
•  I’ve taken a bunch of trips since I’ve been back in Spain… Lisbon and Sintra in Portugal, Jerez and Arcos de la Frontera, Madrid, Salamanca, and Toledo in Spain, and Amsterdam in the Netherlands. 
• And I’ve celebrated Holy Week and Feria. 

 

Face is almost completely normal!!

Trips coming up: Barcelona, Ubrique, Cadiz, and hopefully Lithuania. 

Other news:  I have a new baby nephew!!  He was born April 29^th and his name is Noah and he is soooooo cute.  Congratulations Sara and Justin!!

So, as I mentioned, one of the things I recently experienced here in Spain was Holy Week or, Semana Santa (the week leading up to Easter Sunday).  It’s a pretty big deal in many different areas of Spain but Sevilla’s celebrations are probably the most famous.  Tourists flock to the city every year and this year was no exception.  Fortunately for me, I only had to fight my way through the hordes of people for a few days because I traveled for the first part of the week.  Since we had the week off for spring break, I took advantage of the time to see a few more cities in Spain before I came back to see the Madrugá on Maundy Thursday.  The following are some highlights…

MY SEMANA SANTA

My Semana Santa began the Thursday before Holy Week.  I traveled from that Thursday to the following Thursday with an ever-evolving group of friends (people coming and going for different parts of the adventure) and had a great time!  My destinations included Madrid (from Thursday to Monday), Salamanca (as a day trip on Saturday), and Toledo (from Monday to Thursday). 

Madrid:

That first Thursday night I attended a sold-out Mumford and Sons concert in Madrid with 4 other friends.   It was fantastic!  And we kept talking about it the rest of the week. J

The following few days, we said goodbye to a few friends, hello to a few others, and explored all we could in rainy Madrid. Considering all we saw in the few days we were there, the following were probably my favorites: seeing Picasso’s Guernica in person, eating lunch at Plaza Mayor (the main square), walking through El Retiro park and seeing the Crystal Palace there (lovely!), exploring the San Miguel market (sooo much good food!!), and wandering through the Prado (though it was a bit of an art overload after a while).  All in all, great destination and lots of fun!

Salamanca:

On Saturday, four of us took a day-trip to Salamanca.  I thought it was a very pretty city with its interesting architecture and sandy-colored buildings.  Of the things we saw in Salamanca, my favorites were the Plaza Mayor (though we weren’t able to stay late enough to see it light up that evening… bummer) and the views from the bell towers of the Espiritu Santo Church.   Salamanca was another great destination and worth the trip!

Toledo:

 Toledo was definitely my favorite city of the three!  I fell in love with it right away.  As soon as we began our drive up from the train station into the city, I knew Toledo and I were a perfect match.  The views took my breath away!  And in further exploring the city during the following few days (granted, only the touristy parts), I became even more enchanted.   I don’t really know how to adequately explain the enchantment so I’ll just say this: the views of the river below the city were awe-inspiring and when I walked through the city, I felt like I was walking through a large-scale Renaissance Festival without costumes. Definitely my kind of place.

Besides the drive into the city and the views in general, a couple of my other Toledo favorites were visiting the Monastery of San Juan de los Reyes and seeing a paso (a Holy Week procession complete with float) up close.   Things I’d like to go back and see:  the cathedral (we had seen so many churches by the time we got to Toledo that none of us wanted to go inside) and the walk around the outside of the city (which we couldn’t do because of all the rain… it would have been stunning!).

All in all, Toledo = awesome.

 

Sevilla:

On Maundy Thursday (Holy Thursday before Easter), I left lovely Toledo and began the long journey home to Sevilla.  I got back in the evening after a train ride and a long bus ride and had quite an experience trying to get from the bus station to my apartment.  You see, Holy Thursday is a HUGE deal in Sevilla.  Processions extend all through the night in order to arrive at the Cathedral at dawn on Good Friday (called the Madrugada or Madrugá) and are attended by young and old and all ages in between.  By the time I reached Sevilla around 8 PM, the processions had already begun.  So, a walk that should have taken me about 20 minutes took over an hour instead.  At every turn, I was met with suffocating crowds and/or processions.  I had to keep circling out of my way around the center of the city (where I live) until I could finally find a break in the crowds and processions to cut in towards my apartment.  It was exhausting!… and I was rolling a little suitcase through it all!  Poor little suitcase, it got a beating. 

After finally getting home, I dropped off my things and headed back out into the craziness to see a few pasos without the burden of my bags and coat.  I enjoyed watching the processions and I’m glad I braved the crowds.  Over the next few days I ventured out a few more times to see the pasos and each experience was an adventure.   I’m happy that I was able to experience Holy Week in Sevilla at least once in my life.  Would I buy a plane ticket in the future to visit Sevilla during Holy Week?  Honestly, probably not.  I thought it was neat, but I’m satisfied with my experience.  I’d rather come back during a more normal and less-crowded week.  I prefer everyday Sevilla.  J

Holy Week and Pasos

So, what exactly happens during Holy Week and what are these processions you’re talking about, Rachel? Well, I am glad you asked.  I’ll make this as short and simple as I can based on my limited knowledge.  

Basically, during holy week, different religious brotherhoods (hermandades) process (they do not parade… do not call it a parade) through the streets with a paso (a float with wooden sculptures depicting either a scene from the final days of Christ’s life or a grief-stricken Mary) and sometimes a brass band.  Some of the people in the procession carry giant candles, some carry black wooden crosses, and some just walk.  Though the floats can weigh over a literal ton, these are also carried. 

Strong men called costaleros are positioned under the pasos and carry them very slowly through the city over the cobblestone streets.  Since the men are hidden beneath the platforms of the pasos, the floats appear to walk alone.  When they pass by, they are met either with cheers and merriment, or with penitent silence – it depends on the brotherhood and the paso.   Routes can take up to 14 hours, so the costaleros also take turns carrying the heavy floats.

 

The processers who do not carry the pasos  are called los nazarenos. They include children, adults, elderly folks, men, women – people of all ages and genders – that belong to the brotherhood.  Most wear cloaks and pointy hoods, which can be purple, white, black, red, etc.  The color depends on the brotherhood.  To us U.S. Americans, they basically look like the cloaks and hoods of the KKK.  But, I assure you, these clothes have nothing to do with all that hateful KKK foolishness.  In Spain, these outfits are simply penitential robes that have been used since the medieval period.

 

So what about everyone else?  For those people who are not in a procession, the week consists of dressing up very nicely to go watch the pasos, walk around the city, and eat (basically). 

And really, that’s about all I know.

So, that was my Holy Week.  Stay tuned for updates on other travel and activities.  I hope you’re all well!

What did you do for Holy Week/Easter?