Easter Week
Semana Santa in Cadiz Province
For centuries, religion has been one of the central pillars of life in Spain. Unlike other countries, Catholicism in Spain has mostly managed to stand up to the weight and strain of modern society. Spanish faith is epitomised in the annual celebrations of Easter week.
Semana Santa in Seville, Malaga, Jerez and San Fernando is renowned worldwide for the ornate and solemn processions which take place day and night from Domingo de Ramos (palm Sunday) to Domingo de Resurreccion (Easter Sunday). The streets of these cities throng with thousands of spectators keen to watch the various processions, heralding life-sized representations from moments in the life of Jesus Christ and the virgin Mary, called pasos. Each paso pertains to a respective fraternity within the cities. The paso begins its route from the church to which its fraternity belongs, travelling through the city to the Cathedral and then returning. Some pasos can take up to 12 hours to complete their respective route. In cities such as Seville there can be around 6 pasos on the go at the same time. Each paso can weigh well over a ton, and is carried by members of the fraternity who will have been practising carrying the float-like structure for months before Easter week even begins. In front and behind the pasos, can be seen groups of hooded figures (nazarenos) walking and praying with the procession.
It is impossible to try and explain and quantify the importance and grandeur of semana santa in a few words. It is a spectacular and humbling experience which impresses both the believers and non-believers amongst us. One must see it to understand and appreciate it, as words cannot do it justice.