Semana Santa

Spain is very famous for numerous events held during Semana Santa or Holy week. Holy week (Hebdomada Sancta or Maior Hebdomada – „Greater Week“) in Christianity is the last week before Easter. It includes religious holidays of Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday (Holy Thursday) and Good Friday. I does not include Easter Sunday which belongs to The Great Fifty Days.

All of the religious holidays mentioned commemorate the last week in life of Jesus Christ, his crucifixion on Good Friday and the resurrection on Easter Sunday.

Processions in Spanish cities are especially spectacular. Some of the people participating in procession wear the nazareno or the penitential robe. It has several parts – a tunic, „capriote“ (a conical shaped hood) used to hide the face of person wearing the nazareno. Sometimes person also wears a cloak too. The nazareno robe is of medieval origin.

Nazarenos in Malaga

People wearing such robe or „nazarenos“ during procession carry candles or wooden crosses. In some situations they walk barefoot carry shackles and chains on their feet as sort of penance.

Beside the nazarenos some people in Spanish processions wear the uniforms similar to those worn by soldiers in Ancient Rome.

Traditions of Holy week in southern Spanish city of Malaga have history of over 500 years. Processions are organized throughout the Holy week but certainly the most spectacular ones are those on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.

Semana Santa in Malaga

Element typical for this, and all other Spanish processions, is so called „trono“ or throne (float). What exactly is it? It is kind of platform with many ornaments, often very heavy (even more than 5000 kilograms), on which paintings or sculptures with scenes from the Passion are carried. The Passion in this sense means the suffering of Christ before and during the Crucifixion.

Tronos in Malaga are carried by more than 250 members of the brotherhood of Nuestra Señora de la Esperanza. Walking behind the nazarenos wearing purple robe are women in black carrying candles.

The procession is accompanied by emotional music (played with drums and trumpets) and singing of “saeta” dedicated to the float. The saeta is a very old traditional Spanish religious song. The Spanish word saeta has differnt meanings -“arrow“, "bud of a vine", "hand of a clock" or "magnetic needle". Since the 19th century saetas includes elements of flamenco. The Saeta is sung by the saetero. During the procession saetero usually sings from one of balconies along the road.

Saetero

Thousands of people gather and watch the procession. They often applaud their famous brotherhoods. These applauds and flamenco type of song during the event which is essentially sad make the procession very special, a bit unusual when compared to others in Spain. It does not mean that people of Andalucia are less religious. They just show their faith in a different way.

Nazarenos in Seville

For the next of famous Spanish processions we’ll stay in Anadalucia. The procession during Semana Santa in city of Seville is famous for “pasos”. Pasos are big painted wooden sculptures. Each one of them represents scenes in the last days of Jesus Christ and immense grief of Virgin Mary for the torture and killing of her son.

Paso in Seville

Pasos are quite heavy so they are carried by “costaleros” or “sack men”. They are called so as they have special headdress. Each pass is carried by 24 to 48 people. They are hidden inside the paso, so it seems that it walks by itself.