After having experienced the drama and pomp and ceremony and spine-chilling rituals of Holy Week in Santiago de Compostela, I can strongly recommend a trip to Seville in Spain at the end of March, first week in April!
Semana Santa in Seville, Spain. Courtesy of Turismo de Sevilla
when: 28 Mar - 4 Apr 2010 (annual)
where: Seville
cost: Free
Seville is renowend for staging one of the most overwhelming Holy Week processions in the world. Thousands of people, young and old, religious and secular, pour onto this ancient city's winding streets to remember the events of The Passion.
Brotherhoods (cofradias) from all over the city spend weeks in preparation to ensure that the parades do justice to what can be considered the commanding highlight of the Christian calendar. The commemoration dates back to the 16th century and today the celebrations are as popular as ever. The spectacle of the solemn daily processions, marked by mesmerising drumbeats and punctuated by flamenco saetas (songs), provides a constant reminder of the Christian and Pagan heritage that makes up this unique land.
Tensions heighten on the eve of Good Friday, with a breathtaking midnight cavalcade that continues into the early hours of the morning. A wealth of images and statues of Jesus and the Virgin Mary are paraded through the streets of the city to an almighty turn out.
The procession can take up to eight hours, as there are more than 100 pasos, or litters, representing different districts of the town. The privilege of carrying one of the litters is exclusive. One of the greatest honours of Semana Santa is assigned to the costaleros, who bear some of the larger floats, which can weigh up to several tonnes. Each man must take the weight of up to 40 kilogrammes for hours on end. The brothers' attire of hood, cloak and sandals is known as the nazareno.
Semana Santa is no ordinary event. The combination of the heady clouds of incense and flamenco song, along with the sheer spectacle of the costaleros, nazarenos and life-size images as they judder along on their floats, creates a powerful atmosphere.
Town Information: Seville
Full Name: Seville, Spain
Name: Seville Tourist Office (Municipal)
Location: Seville
Address: Edificio Costurero de La Reina, Calle Paseo de las Delicias, 9, 45013 Sevilla
Phone: +34 954 23 44 65
Fax: +34 954236243
Name: Tourist Office at the Junta de Andalusia
Location: Andalusia
Address: Plaza Mariana de Pineda 10, Granada
Phone: +34 958 24 71 28
Name: Spanish National Tourist Office
Location: Spain
Address: José Lazaro Galdiano, 6, Madrid 28036
Fax: +34 913 43 35 00
Name: Spanish National Tourist Office (Turespaña)
Location: Spain
Address: Jose Lázaro Galdiano, 6, 28071 Madrid, Spain
Email: infosmile@tourspain.es
Phone: +34 913 43 35 00
Name: Spanish Tourist Board (London)
Location: Spain
Address: PO Box 4009, London, W1A 6NB
Email: info.londres@tourspain.es
Phone: +44 (0) 20 7486 8077
Fax: +44 (0) 20 7486 8034
Event details can change. Please check with the organisers that the event is happening before making travel arrangements.
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