Semana Santa en Sevilla
Mar 21st, 2016, 06:50 PM
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Semana Santa en Sevilla
A sister-in-law is in Seville this week for Semana Santa. Her father was born in Spain but became an American. This SIL is well-traveled in Spain and Italy and this is part of her account:
How to Hunt for Virgins
Chasing down Virgins is hard work. The crowd forms quickly when they know a procession is coming. I slither and squeeze to the front, only to be usurped by tiny children whose mothers insist that I give way. The children hold their hands out for the candy that the baby penitents give out. Older child penitents give holy cards and medals. The children hold their prizes up triumphantly for mama to see. It's a lesson in being avaricious. This goes on for hours. After all, there are 600 nazarenos in this procession alone. Then come the penitents carrying crucifixes. For some reason their pointed hoods droop. There's something Freudian there, but I'm not sure what it is.
Finally the smell of incense and the sounds of the band as the Virgin appears, in all her splendor. Right after that the crowd disburses. Pressed forward, pushed back, I'm reminded of those news stories where people are crushed at soccer games, and it Has happened at Semana Santa too. The man behind me keeps muttering that I'm too slow. I know if I fell he would step on me.
In a nearby plaza yet another virgin is wending her way home. She's crying. Probably tired from being on her feet all day.
How to Hunt for Virgins
Chasing down Virgins is hard work. The crowd forms quickly when they know a procession is coming. I slither and squeeze to the front, only to be usurped by tiny children whose mothers insist that I give way. The children hold their hands out for the candy that the baby penitents give out. Older child penitents give holy cards and medals. The children hold their prizes up triumphantly for mama to see. It's a lesson in being avaricious. This goes on for hours. After all, there are 600 nazarenos in this procession alone. Then come the penitents carrying crucifixes. For some reason their pointed hoods droop. There's something Freudian there, but I'm not sure what it is.
Finally the smell of incense and the sounds of the band as the Virgin appears, in all her splendor. Right after that the crowd disburses. Pressed forward, pushed back, I'm reminded of those news stories where people are crushed at soccer games, and it Has happened at Semana Santa too. The man behind me keeps muttering that I'm too slow. I know if I fell he would step on me.
In a nearby plaza yet another virgin is wending her way home. She's crying. Probably tired from being on her feet all day.
Mar 22nd, 2016, 08:01 AM
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I didn't spend much time in Sevilla at the Semana Santa processions because they were called off due to rain, but I do know that one's hotel may have seats for rent. I rented a seat in Málaga, and it really improved my experience.
They are often expensive. I paid about a hundred euros to rent a front row seat. It was worth it! Spending Holy Week in Málaga was something I'll remember all my life.
I recommend it over Sevilla because hotels tend not to double their prices, as they do in Sevilla. There wasn't the sort of scrum that the above poster describes, either. The thing that comes closest to it--though not very close--is that the children press close to the processions so that Nazarenos will pour some wax from their candles onto the ball of wax that a child holds out.
They are often expensive. I paid about a hundred euros to rent a front row seat. It was worth it! Spending Holy Week in Málaga was something I'll remember all my life.
I recommend it over Sevilla because hotels tend not to double their prices, as they do in Sevilla. There wasn't the sort of scrum that the above poster describes, either. The thing that comes closest to it--though not very close--is that the children press close to the processions so that Nazarenos will pour some wax from their candles onto the ball of wax that a child holds out.
Mar 22nd, 2016, 05:20 PM
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IDH...I appreciate short but succinct trip reports...sis did a very good job.
https://picasaweb.google.com/stuartt...villaHolyWeek#
I don't any longer write TR's...that's just not my thing or my speed as you know.Thoroughly enjoyed the visit.
https://picasaweb.google.com/stuartt...villaHolyWeek#
I don't any longer write TR's...that's just not my thing or my speed as you know.Thoroughly enjoyed the visit.
Mar 22nd, 2016, 06:12 PM
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Thanks, Stu. I too do not like 99% of TR's as they seem to be written by anal accountants as a narrative to support their expense account. But that is why I like hers, a different but honest account colorfully written.
Mar 23rd, 2016, 11:07 AM
#9
I have never been to Semana Santa in Seville [or elsewhere, though Peg's accounts of Malaga make that sound vey attractive] but we were in Seville in September a few years ago when they had the Saints' Day processions [I think that's what Kimhe explained they were].
What we enjoyed was the unexpectedness of the occasion, the obvious sense of veneration, and the music! who knew that the Andalucians had brass and silver bands just like we do in Cornwall? The only event that came anywhere close to the description above was the Sunday [?] parade of the Virgin from the Cathedral - there were thousands of people lining the main street and it was even being televised.
Thanks for posting this, IMD - your SIL paints a vivid picture and has a good turn of phrase - how can anyone resist a piece that starts "How to hunt for Virgins" ?
What we enjoyed was the unexpectedness of the occasion, the obvious sense of veneration, and the music! who knew that the Andalucians had brass and silver bands just like we do in Cornwall? The only event that came anywhere close to the description above was the Sunday [?] parade of the Virgin from the Cathedral - there were thousands of people lining the main street and it was even being televised.
Thanks for posting this, IMD - your SIL paints a vivid picture and has a good turn of phrase - how can anyone resist a piece that starts "How to hunt for Virgins" ?
Mar 23rd, 2016, 01:26 PM
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Enjoyed your report. I went to Semana Santa a few years ago but I stayed on the side streets near San Salvador Church and kept moving around. I went to several parades over the four days I was there and had a great time. I heard various singers who came and stood over the plaza and sang invocations. Definitely cool.
Mar 23rd, 2016, 02:26 PM
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Today'entry
Yes, I actually had a big idea yesterday. After watching so many people stare at their phones and then run off in the direction of the nearest virgin, it came to me : There's an app for that. Sure enough there were, and I downloaded 2 of them. No more trying to guess where the Virgin would be. Now I had her whole itinerary mapped out for me , street by street, hour by hour. Oh I felt so smug getting a nice place to view the next Virgin.
But you know, the Virgin has friends in very high places. It was supposed to rain for 3 days before. Every day I dutifully carried my umbrella but it never rained. This day the forecast was sunny. As I waited for the procession, it started to pour. My umbrella was safely in the apartment. When it rains there is no procession. The virgin's gowns are expensive and antique. The cannot get wet. Virgin:1. Me:0
Yes, I actually had a big idea yesterday. After watching so many people stare at their phones and then run off in the direction of the nearest virgin, it came to me : There's an app for that. Sure enough there were, and I downloaded 2 of them. No more trying to guess where the Virgin would be. Now I had her whole itinerary mapped out for me , street by street, hour by hour. Oh I felt so smug getting a nice place to view the next Virgin.
But you know, the Virgin has friends in very high places. It was supposed to rain for 3 days before. Every day I dutifully carried my umbrella but it never rained. This day the forecast was sunny. As I waited for the procession, it started to pour. My umbrella was safely in the apartment. When it rains there is no procession. The virgin's gowns are expensive and antique. The cannot get wet. Virgin:1. Me:0
Mar 24th, 2016, 01:16 AM
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<who knew that the Andalucians had brass and silver bands>
He-he, that's the air that all the processions breathe, here Malaga's beloved Virgen del Rocio at the emblematic Tribuna de los Pobres during Semana Santa in 2014: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrgYM4dKL-A
He-he, that's the air that all the processions breathe, here Malaga's beloved Virgen del Rocio at the emblematic Tribuna de los Pobres during Semana Santa in 2014: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrgYM4dKL-A
Mar 24th, 2016, 08:23 AM
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Margo: Semana Santa in Málaga is just fabulous! I'd love to go again in 2017 but I'll be taking my final class in German then, so it will have to wait until 2018. It is one of the most memorable travel experiences I've ever had. Just fabulous!
The first information I found was on a TripAdvisor post on Semana Santa in Málaga. Then after my second trip, which was for the full week, I posted my own trip report. There's a lot about other places I visited in Spain on that trip, so be warned.
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...p-to-spain.cfm
The first information I found was on a TripAdvisor post on Semana Santa in Málaga. Then after my second trip, which was for the full week, I posted my own trip report. There's a lot about other places I visited in Spain on that trip, so be warned.
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...p-to-spain.cfm
