LESLIE EN ESPAÑA: Semana Santa

Semana Santa in Sevilla is like nothing else I've ever experienced. It is one of the most important traditional events here - there are tons of people, lots of activity, and the city truly changes shape for a week - but in a good way. All week long there are processions, almost continuously, from the churches in Sevilla to the Cathedral. Each church processes with it's paso, which is a large, wooden float depicting either a scene from the Passion of Christ, or the Virgin Mary - or both. Each paso is ornately decorated, and is accompanied by a large musical band and by nazarenos, which to the untrained American eye, looks very similar to an unpopular group of hooded figures from the South (see photo above). The processions are quite large, and move VERY slowly through the streets of Sevilla. They start at their respective church, walk to the Cathedral, and then process back to their church. The longest single procession takes 14 hours! The floats are carried by men, who are huddled underneath the float, unseen by the public. The floats are extremely heavy, and to navigate them almost blindly through the narrow, cobblestone streets of Sevilla - it truly is a work of art. The procession routes are lined with people, and in some neighborhoods, individuals in the crowds break into spontaneous song. We were fortunate to see this first-hand in Triana, when some women on one of the balconies began to sing a flamenco-style song.

The whole experience is very powerful: the ornate pasos, the music, the nazarenos (many of whom walk the entire procession barefoot), the incense, the crowds of people gathered to watch...words cannot describe it. Mom, Dad, and I were fortunate enough to see quite a few pasos - mostly by serendipity. But every time, we were struck by the power, beauty, faith, and significance of the event.