Semana Santa

During the past 7 days, Semana Santa thundered, blazed, crept and wailed through Sevilla. Semana Santa traditions are hundreds of years old, and Sevilla cherishes the traditions more than any other place in Spain. Thousands of Sevillanos participate in the processions through the streets and thousands more are there to photograph, stare, cheer, sing and mourn.

A paso with the Giralda of the cathedral in the background

During one of the processions (or pasos), a family from Charleston happened to stand behind Brad and me; at one point, the kid asked, “Why are there so many people here?” They were Southern Baptist and a bit unclear on why Semana Santa in Sevilla is such a big deal. I’m sure the average American has no idea what happens during this incredible week – I sure didn’t. (Of course, the average American doesn’t spend thousands of dollars to stay in Sevilla during the most expensive week of the year . . . but that’s another issue.) I want to explain exactly what happens during Semana Santa. Warning: I’m a complete outsider, so some of my info will be inaccurate.

~Terms~

Autos Sacramentales: public religious demonstrations performed by laypeople with the blessing of the Roman Catholic Church
Semana Santa: “Holy Week” – the week from Palm Sunday to Easter when numerous autos sacramentales occur in Spain
- Andalucía (in southern Spain) observes Semana Santa with way more demonstrations than the rest of Spain; some cities may just have one procession all week – Sevilla has the biggest Semana Santa by far
Paso: “passage” – the “procession” or “parade” so to speak, as well as the actual platforms that are carried in the procession
- each procession has 1 to 3 pasos (some pasos are centuries-old)
- the paso/procession goes from its church (the salida) to the Sevilla cathedral and back to the church (the entrada) – this always takes a few hours, for example: a paso may leave its church in Triana (across the river) at 2:15 am, and get back to its church after noon.
El Misterio: “The Mystery” – a paso with a depiction of one of the mysteries of the passion
- often the first paso
- these pasos are super cool because it’s like a moving, gilded Bible story


The “Misterio” of Montesión depicts Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.
“. . . He went to the Mount of Olives, . . . and His disciples also followed him. When He came to the place, He said to them, ‘Pray that you may not enter into temptation.’ And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, ‘Father, if it is Your will, remove this cup from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.’ Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.” -Luke 22:39-43
Yes, that’s a real olive tree that the disciples are sleeping under


The “Misterio” of Montserrat is called “the conversion of the good thief”

"Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, 'If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.' But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, "Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?' . . . Then he said to Jesus, 'Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.' And Jesus said to him, 'Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.'" -Luke 23:39-43

El Cristo: “The Christ” – a life-size wooden sculpted depiction of Christ, usually depicted as crucified on the cross or carrying the cross
- most pasos have the Cristo paso as the first one

Las Penas: El de Jesus de Nazareno – you can see the clouds of incense in this video

El Cristo de las Almas

El Palio de la Virgin: a paso carrying “La Virgin” – a life-size wooden sculpted depiction the virgin Mary, always crying or horror-stricken, often carrying a hankerchief or rosary
- second or third paso

- the most popular virgin is La Virgin de la Macarena – some people even shout “gaupa!” at her because she is thought to be so beautiful.

Virgin del Dulce Nombre (Virgin of the Sweet Name) being consoled by St. John

Virgin de Montserrat

Cruz de guia: the cross that is carried to lead the procession

Hermandad/Cofradia: “brotherhood” – an autonomous group of laypeople (women are allowed into brotherhoods as of the 1990s) who organize and participate in pasos
- hermandades are typically associated with a local church
- everyone in the hermandad pays dues
- the oldest hermandad in Sevilla was founded in the 14th Century
Nazarenos: “Nazarenes” – members of the hermandad who walk in pasos
- dress in colored robes with pointed hoods and typically carry a large candle
- some pasos have numerous children as Nazarenos (some so young that they’re holding on to Mommy’s hand)

Nazarenos

Penitentes: “Penitents” – members of the hermandad who walk in pasos behind the Nazarenos
- dress in colored robes with hoods; carry a wooden cross --often walk barefooted and/or tape several crosses together in order to pay more penance

Penitentes

A few words on Nazarenos and Penitentes . . .

---> The hoods . . . I know you’re all thinking KKK. Yes, it’s creepy for an American to see that. However, pointed hoods have been used by religious penitents for centuries; it’s truly unfortunate that an evil group like the KKK took this religious dress from the medieval church.
--->They are not all necessarily believers. That’s right, some of the people who pay dues to the hermandad and walk (sometimes barefoot!) in pasos may not believe in the Church, Jesus, the whole deal. BUT, that tells you how important the cultural and social tradition of Semana Santa is to Sevillanos. In some pasos, you see thousands of Nazarenos and Penitentos – that doesn’t mean they all go to church. (Only little old ladies go to church.) We have an agnostic/atheist Sevillano friend who’s a member of a hermandad because his Mom makes him. I’m sure that some of the members of the hermandades are serious Catholics and they are truly praying and asking for God’s forgiveness for their sins.
---> Nazarenos and Penitentes wear their hoods and robes when they go to and from home during Semana Santa to keep their identity secret. The idea is, to truly be penitent, you do not show the world how penitent you are, you only show God.

Costaleros: the guys who carry the pasos/platforms on the backs of their necks; depending on the size of the paso, 20 to 40 costaleros are under it
- during the paso, one group of costaleros will get a break and a new group will stand in for a while; it’s still an incredibly exhausting job

Typical rough-around-the-edges costaleros – they wrap fabric around their heads, with padding at the nape of their necks

Hermandad Mayor: “Elder brother” – the guy in the brotherhood who directs the costaleros (they can’t see under there and they have to navigate these huge pasos in and out of churches and down very tiny windy streets)
Mecer: “to rock, sway” – since pasos are carried by men not machines, the paso itself sways as it “walks” – it looks as if the Cristo and the Virgin are “walking” down the street
Saeta: a spontaneous and emotional religious song sung to the Christo or the Virgin paso
- saetas may be sung by men, women or children as the paso passes by – often the singer sings from a balcony above the paso
- the style of a saeta is very flamenco – fitting because the song is about pain and suffering associated with the passion


Vera Cruz: You can’t see the paso in this video. Just listen for the woman singing a saeta during this paso -- this was a couple of blocks away from our apartment.

La Madrugá: “Early morning” – from midnight until daybreak on Maundy Thursday, there are some very special pasos
- during La Madrugá, there are pasos to symbolize staying awake and keeping watch for Jesus on the night when his disciples fell asleep in the Garden of Gethsemane
- famous pasos of La Madrugá: La Macarena, El Gran Poder, El Silencio and Esperanza de Triana

All of this info only tells you the beginning of the story, but it’s impossible to describe Semana Santa without knowing these terms. Oh! I forgot one last term that is necessary to understand the meaning of Semana Santa:
Torrijas: delicious sweet made only during Semana Santa – tastes like a piece of french toast soaked in honey

In the next post, I’ll share some of our experiences during this magical week.