Semana Santa in Sevilla
Trip Start
Feb 16, 2008
1
7
25
Trip End
Ongoing
Seville,
Spain
Monday, March 24, 2008
Palm Sunday 2
We saw our first procession on Palm Sunday one week before Easter. We just happened upon it in time to see the big statue of Jesus and all of the men in white robes with pointy purple hats. At first it is strange to see all of these people that resemble the KKK in the U.S. but of course this is such a different purpose. The people in the cloaks are all part of different brotherhoods that devote a lot of time, service and energy to the deeply rooted traditions of Easter in Sevilla.
Jesus on the cross
During Semana Santa, it rained for a couple of days so we were'tīt able to see as many processions as we had hoped, but we happened upon one of the 12 hours processions on Thursday night as it was leaving the cathedral. We got up close and could really get a sense of the weight of the monuments that are carried by these strong and dedicated men for up to 12 hours. We didn'tīt make it through the night because I had a cold and started to get sleepy by 1:30 a.m. If I could have stayed out longer, I would have.
Procession on Triana bridge
On Saturday we walked to Macarena, a great area just outside of the city center. We saw the end of one of the biggest processions and hung around as all of the people celebrated in the streets after the procession ended. Later we saw another procession with the Virgen Mary across the Triana bridge. It was pretty magical too. At sunset, thousands of people walked along with the procession across the bridge and into the historic centre. Other than that, we had a pretty relaxing Easter in Seville. Next week is going to be more stressful as we have to make some decisions about real life such as where to live and work, etc. More on that later...
