Travel Spain – Semana Santa Traditions

By Alexa Boyce – Spain has a rich and vibrant culture full of celebrations and festivals, particularly those centering around religious holidays. Each of these is exciting and fascinating, but none more so than Semana Santa, or Holy Week. Spain's predominantly Catholic society ensures that the week leading up to Easter is filled with processions and celebrations. Each city and town has its own unique traditions, but some of the most famous take place in Valencia, Cuenca, Valladolid, Murcia, Zamora, Malaga and Cordoba.
Semana Santa celebrations take place in the eight days leading up to Easter. They begin on Palm Sunday (Domingo de Ramos) and end on Easter Monday (Lunes de Pascua). These celebrations consist of artistic, spritual and emotionally touching scenes. They are displayed via a mixture of sights, sounds, smells and tastes. All of these celebrations include sacred dress, colors, lights and processions through the streets. By far, the most notable festivals take place in the region of Andalusia. Of those, Sevilla is the most renowned for its fabulous displays and emotional processions, or pasos.
The origins of the Sevillan pasos can be traced back as early as 1248 when King Fernando III reclaimed Sevilla from the Moors. Hermandades, or brotherhoods, were organized to rescue the injured soldiers and bury the dead. The Catholic church began to reestablish its dominance in the area and by the 16th century, Sevilla's hermandades organized processions that symbolized the journey of Christ to Cavalry.
Today, a Sevillan Semana Santa will include many traditional festivities. On Domingo de Ramos, a statue of Christ is paraded through the streets. This figure is over 370 years old and was carved by Juan de Mesa. This is an extremely emotionally moving experience for the Sevillans who confess, cry, laugh out loud, adore, and touch and kiss the image as it moves through the streets. Another procession is the image of the Virgen de la Macarena, to which people sing rhymes and flamenco songs known as saetas. The most important Sevillan celebration takes place on Good Friday, when the city explodes in sounds, instruments and songs and the pasos culminate at the cathedral.
Semana Santa is a week that can be written about and viewed through pictures, but cannot fully be understood until one actually experiences it. It will push the envelope of the senses and bring out emotions ranging from the deepest sorrow to sheer ecstasy. No words or pictures can fully explain this fantastic celebration.