Semana Santa

Semana Santa - Holy Week

It´s a huge celebration in Seville, and is the reason I stayed an extra day ... to be with the crowds on the street, watching a medieval celebration where hundreds of penitents march in white robes and cone-shaped hats which cover their faces. On their feet (formerly) white socks, no shoes. Each carries a meter-long candle, using it as a staff.

Between each set of penitents is a large and elaborate float. The floats are carried by a group of people hidden underneath the skirt of the float. They must be suffocating in the heat, and each walks for at least four hours to get to the final destination ... wherever that is. The entire city is a big parade.

I had been told that people line up for hours to see the parade, that some buy chairs, booked month in advance. I wandered around, hoping to find a spot to see the parade, but I needn´t have worried ... I found spots to observe front and center, more often than necessary.

The first spot was on a small one way street, about 20 feet long. I was certain I had heard incorrectly when I asked if the parade would pass by there, but it did ... close enough to feel the swishes of the horse´s tails, the garments of the penitents, and to touch the floats. Close enough also to hear the trumpets blaring inches from my ears, and to smell the incense wafting up my nostrils. Like the solstice parade in Kensington market, this was a parade that was experienced. When the parade came by, silence would fall, everyone breathlessly watching whether the floats would make it under the bridge, and then letting out a huge cheer when they successfully cleared.

The next time I saw it was by the cathedral, where all the floats eventually come through. So many people watching here ... talking with each other, nearly oblivious to the celebrations. Although the parades are more impressive near the churches, they seem to be less vibrant there, more rehearsed.

And the next time I saw the parade it was dark. The candles were no longer used as staffs, but held high, dripping, staining the white robes red with wax. Finding my way home was nearly impossible, for everywhere I walked was another parade. Following the music works when the atmosphere is relatively silent, but at Semana Santa, it leads one into the middle of a marching band!