Semana Santa

Mary on Float

or Holy Week is the week of Easter. In Spain it is not about cute bunnies or colorful eggs but rather about faith and Jesus and Mary. It is said that many people take the week off from work to be able to participate in the festivities. And the festivities, which consist mainly of parades of floats of Jesus and Mary, take place from Sunday to Sunday. Somehow they divide up the days or nights among the churches and religious brotherhoods of the town and then take turns parading the streets.

Costaleros

The two most important groups of participants in the parades are the nazarenos or penitents who can be either adults or children dressed in long robes and pointy head gear, wearing candles and costaleros who are the solemn members of brotherhoods and carry the floats. There are also participants that hoist silver scepters or crosses or distribute flower petals or incense. Sometimes there are women dressed in mournful black. And most always there is a brass band and drummers setting the pace.

Nazarenos

People come from far away to witness even one of these penance processions; hotels are fully booked and parking is near impossible. The cities that put on major processions are Seville and Malaga. That is why we escaped the heavily crowded streets of Malaga for much less doable Ronda. Perhaps those pointy hoods had something to do with it, too.