Semana santa, called Holy Week in English, is a week-long celebration. For an entire week, the people of Seville, (as well as many other cities in Spain and around the world) celebrate Easter.
Seville’s famous celebration consists of many parades throughout the city with floats that show religious scenes. The floats are often decorated with flowers and candles, and carry religious statues, with many dressed in expensive robes. Â Christ and the Virgin Mary are among the most commonly seen figures.
The floats are actually carried by people underneath called costaleros. They carry the floats on their shoulders. It takes many costaleros to carry just one float. CHECK THEM OUT IN THE SLIDE SHOW BELOW.
Nazarenos (penitents) are also an important part of the parades. These are people dressed in long robes with pointed hoods. They carry big, heavy crosses, and walk the entire distance of the parade. They walk to represent those who are sorry for things they have done wrong.
Last week I posted about Semana Santa (Holy Week) in Seville, Spain. (April 13-20). Â These are some pictures I took several years ago during a visit to this beautiful celebration. Â Semana Santa offers the visitor an opportunity to really see the religious cultural aspect of Spain.
I hope you enjoy the pictures with the captions explaining each one. Take a look to see a great video clip of a typical procession:
http://www.andalucia.com/festival/seville-semanasanta.htm
Enjoy!!
Debbie
PS – If you’re looking for a Spanish curriculum for your classes or homeschool, take a look at Spanish for You! for grades 3-8. It makes teaching and learning Spanish simple, effective, and affordable!