Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Semana Santa (Holy Week) here in Alicante! I've been excited for its arrival since I've heard a lot about Semana Santa in Spain and I know that it's quite different than Holy Week in the States. The region of Andalucía--particularly the cities of Málaga and Sevilla--is well-known for its Semana Santa celebrations.
I got my first taste of what Semana Santa is like during a walk we took before lunch in order to work up an appetite. We saw people walking around with some rather elaborate palms--which was when I remembered that today was Palm Sunday.
I remember when I was little and I used to think it was really impressive when people could make a palm cross using just one palm. However, I look at this little girl's palm, and I realized that the palm crosses that we used to make are like finger painting in comparison to the work of art that is the palm she's holding.
We could hear music coming from the Explanada. We decided to see what was going on and ended up stumbling upon a religious procession!
During Semana Santa, there is a procession everyday put on by different religious fraternities. Typically, the processions have a variety of components--the costaleros, the paso, the nazarenos, and the band.
In this video, you can see that the procession starts with members of the hermandades y confradías (religious fraternity--the term fraternity is perhaps a little misleading--since these organizations are made up of lay people who are responsible for events like the processions during Semana Santa and community service. Historically-speaking, fraternities were only open to men--though there are still fraternities that won't allow women to participate.) During the procession, the men dress in black suits (some military suits). The women wear black dresses as well as a mantilla.
As you can see in this video, there are about fifty costaleros (carriers) dressed in a white costume carrying the religious platform/float--which is called a paso.
The paso that they carry typically depicts Jesus, the Virgin Mary, or some religious scene. A single paso can weigh around 6,000 lbs! Since the processions can last around 5 hours, the costaleros have to be very strong to carry the paso. It's considered an honor to be chosen for the job.
Next come the nazarenos. These are members of the religious fraternity/brotherhood that have put on the procession. Each brotherhood has its own costume. I'll write more about it tomorrow.
Finally, there is the band. The band plays solemn music such as funeral marches or saetas (religious flamenco songs/poems).
I'll continue to write more about Semana Santa in Alicante as the week continues!
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