Semana Santa

Packed in like a sardine on the street in front of the cathedral, I was lucky enough to get the real Sevilla Semana Santa experience last night. Semana Santa (Holy Week) is celebrated in Sevilla with pasos all throughout the day and night.  Pasos are parades done by hermandads (clubs) of up to 1,600 people. The members wear KKK-like pointy hats and full length robes. This year the rain has kept the majority of the hermandads from being able to make their pasos, however, yesterday my friend Lauren and I were lucky enough to stumble across the last possible hermandad to paso and the only one that had been able to paso in over 2 days.

La hermandad del sol wore dark green robes and had the customary two pasos (in this case paso means float). The float first to leave the cathedral, through which all pasos must pass, was that of the Critso (Christ). Later, after many more people in tall green pointy hats had passed all the pomp and circumstance came out for the Maria (Mary). Incense, bands, candles and crying... A hush fell over the crowd as we awaited the Maria.

The floats are heald on the shoulders of 30 men underneath the floats. They are usually in 6 rows of 5 across and wear a special turban to protect the back of their necks and heads. They practice for weeks before Semana Santa to learn to walk (shuffle) together and how to turn corners. Also they have to be able to carry this while bent to get through the doorways of churches. It's pretty impressive. Many of the other members (depending on the hermandad) walk the entire paso (some up to 13 hours!!) barefoot. Why you might ask... well for penitence, of course! My friend Pablo is in 2 hermandads and said that more young people go without shoes. When I asked why he smirked and said because they have more to be sorry for.

The traditional robes worn by the hermandads during Semana Santa. La hermandad del sol wears dark green but colors range from white, purple and red to black and blue as well.

The paso del cristo  - the Christ float had a statue of the Christ post-torture hugging limply carrying his cross.

The Maria was the most ornately decorated paso and the one that brings the crowds in thousands to see each hermandad's paso. Complete with over 30 candles and hundreds of flowers, it is quite a sight to see. I am so glad we got to finally see a paso during what I have heard was the rainiest Semana Santa for the past 10 years or so.