Semana Santa

One of the floats we amazingly and accidentally found ourselves right next to

You don’t have to be Catholic to appreciate all the hard work, beauty and grace of Semana Santa. Something about being in a completely silent crowd at 2 o’clock in the morning to watch a procession of 2,000 men, most carrying candles and some carrying, on their shoulders, several ton floats depicting biblical scenes, is very poignant. That is, once you get over the fact that the outfits that they wear are what we have been conditioned to view as the mark of the KKK. At first, it was hard at first to see past their clothing, but we were eventually able to recognize it for what it was, their way of serving their personal penance to God privately. 

During the silent Madruga procession, at about 3 in the morning

One of the many graphic and intricate pasos

The full marching band that follows many of the procession, playing a personalized song for that specific brotherhood

Semana Santa is one of the most important weeks in Sevilla. It is also one of the largest scale observations of Holy Week in all of Spain. People come from all over the country to watch the pasos (floats) pass through the city. There are smartphone apps to track the routes of each brotherhood’s procession and people show up hours early just to get a good spot. We were very lucky both Thursday night, which is the day that the processions go all night and into the next day, and Saturday afternoon to get a very good spot to see the floats. Both days, we accidently ended up so close to the floats that we could have reached out and touched them if we wanted.

I'm pretty sure this cotton candy was bigger than her when it started

While I am slightly unnerved at the idea of men marching in the processions, carrying the thousand-pound floats and causing themselves physical pain as an act of penance, I am able to understand how meaningful it is to those devout to the Catholic faith.  All around me, people were emotional and moved by the sight of the scenes portrayed atop the pasos. Just being present in the occurrence of something so deeply personal to those all around me was something very special that I’m not sure I will ever experience again. 

And then of course, there’s the children who have to be bribed with bunuelos (small donuts covered in chocolate) and other sweets to pretend to be having a good time. Or at least to not act like their having a terrible time. But I guess that’s to be expected when you take a kid to a crowded place that the main attraction is standing still and watching a bunch of people in pointy hats walk past you. 

The line for the metro. I had never even waited in a line to get on the metro before this day

Next stop: Portugal to sit on some beaches and unwind after a long week of crowds in the city and tests at school. More stories on the way :) Love from Spain!