Bonnie & Bill's Adventures: Semana Santa

Holy Thursday procession on Calle Llana, the main
street of Olvera

Semana Santa is Holy Week, the week leading up to Easter. It is a religious celebration in which Catholics commemorate and mourn the last days of Christ’s life and sympathize the grief of the Virgin Mary. In Spain, many of the towns and villages preserve the ancient custom of having processions, mostly at night. In these processions, large floats, or pasos, are carried from the church, through the streets, and back to the church. The different floats symbolize the last days before Christ’s crucifixion, portraying different scenes from the Bible and displaying major statues, mainly Jesus and Mary. The floats are quite ornate and beautifully decorated.

These floats are quite large and heavy, and are carried by the “costaleros”, men who bear the weight on their shoulders and necks. There can be from 30 to 60 men, even more, depending on the size and weight. They walk in a slow, coordinated pace, which gives the float a swaying motion as it moves along. It is quite compelling to witness.

The processions also include people, nazarenos, dressed in tunics, hoods, and large conical hats. These are penitentes, or penitents, who walk behind the float in the procession. The different colored tunics relate to what brotherhood is represented. Some carry candles, rods, or banners depending on their level of seniority. Their faces are covered so as to be anonymous as they do their penance.

Many are struck with how the attire looks like KKK robes. One must remember that these costumes have been used for centuries and certainly speak of a different sentiment.

Behind the nazarenos is a band playing music; sometimes you just hear the drums marking the cadence of the walking.

The skill and expertise behind the parades rest with the religious fraternities and brotherhoods within the different churches. They have the responsibility of maintaining the statues as well as coordinating the penitents and musicians.

It is touching to witness the fruits of common labor and preparation for a somber and important common cause. Beyond that, the processions are simply breathtaking to watch. We saw our first Semana Santa procession in the town of Jerez, near the naval base in Rota, in 1966 and the memory has never left us.