La versión en español está después de la versión en inglés.
Yesterday afternoon, I caught one of the many Semana Santa processions in town. First, I was on the roof hanging laundry when I heard drums and music. I finished what I was doing and tried to catch up with that procession but it was headed in the opposite direction of where I thought. I had studied the schedules and routes of all the week’s processions but couldn’t remember anything once I was out on the street. So I just followed the crowds.
I arrived at one quiet street I remembered choosing from the map, so I waited. A police car was blocking entrance to the street. A good sign. Others started to arrive and mill about. Another good sign. And then, penitents in black robes, capes, and capirotes (the cone hats) began to arrive at a nearby church. A very good sign. I realized, however, that those black-clad penitents that were dribbling in couldn’t be the reason for spectators. It was clearly too early if they were only just arriving.
Suddenly, the streets were mobbed. And then I heard the drums and music. At first I was disappointed. Only a big gold cross after dozens of penitents had passed. But dozens more (in white with blue velvet capirotes) continued to pour down the street. There had to be something more coming.
And then it finally arrived. It had been worth the wait. It was a huge paso carrying Jesus and several other religious figures. After a long while, with more penitents and another marching band, a paso carrying Mary arrived. She was followed by even more penitents. It was certainly impressive. More than 1-1/2 hours later, the last of the procession turned out of view.
I have loads of pictures to share. Don’t worry, I thinned them out from the 165 I took. There’s more to come. Today, it’s all about the penitents.
Ayer por la tarde, vi una de las muchas procesiones de Semana Santa del pueblo. Estaba en la azotea tendiendo la ropa cuando oí tambores y música. Terminé lo que estaba haciendo e intenté alcanzar la procesión, pero iba en dirección contraria a la que creía. Había estudiado los horarios y recorridos de todas las procesiones de la semana, pero no recordaba nada una vez en la calle. Así que simplemente seguí a la multitud.
Llegué a una calle tranquila que recordaba haber elegido del mapa, así que esperé. Un coche patrulla bloqueaba la entrada. Buena señal. Otros empezaron a llegar y a deambular. Otra buena señal. Y entonces, penitentes con túnicas negras, capas y capirotes (los sombreros de cono) empezaron a llegar a una iglesia cercana. Muy buena señal. Sin embargo, me di cuenta de que esos penitentes vestidos de negro que entraban a borbotones no podían ser la razón de la multitud. Era demasiado temprano si apenas llegaban.
De repente, las calles se llenaron de gente. Y entonces oí los tambores y la música. Al principio me sentí decepcionado. Solo una gran cruz dorada después de que pasaran decenas de penitentes. Pero decenas más (vestidas de blanco con capirotes de terciopelo azul) seguían llegando por la calle. Tenía que haber algo más.
Y finalmente llegó. La espera había merecido la pena. Era un paso enorme que llevaba a Jesús y a varias otras figuras religiosas. Después de un buen rato, con más penitentes y otra banda de música, llegó un paso que llevaba a María. Le siguieron aún más penitentes. Fue realmente impresionante. Más de una hora y media después, el último de la procesión desapareció de la vista.
Tengo un montón de fotos para compartir. No se preocupen, las reduje de las 165 originales que tomé. Así que hay más por venir. Hoy, todo se trata de los penitentes.
• Ella olvidó el cono. La túnica y el manto de él son azules, pero su capirote es negro. Más pecados que expiar.
• Están casados, pero no entre sí. Piden perdón.
Click the thumbnails to enlarge.
Haz clic en las miniaturas para ampliar.
Life in the real Spain.
David:
A fascinating place.
Scary – but amusing at the same time. Especially the hand-holding ones! Jx
Jon:
Yeah, I got a kick out of the hand-holders. Still, I don’t like seeing those hoods.
My initial thought was “thank goodness those hoods are not white”, if you know what I mean. Then, as I progressed through the photos, there they were …. white hoods. I can’t say wearing red robes, rather than white to match the hood, and toting Jesus, would be any less traumatizing if I, a Black woman, had walked up on the procession.
Shirley:
We were shocked when we first saw them and it can still be very unsettling but at least we know they are NOT the KKK. We wouldn’t live in a country that celebrated THEM walking down the street.
I’m not passing judgement since I know different religions like to do different things, but those penitents wouldn’t go over well in my neck of the woods. Especially the last group with the white hoods.
Kelly:
Many people from other countries are shocked to see it. It took us a while to separate them from the KKK, but I still don’t find it a pleasant sight.
I have a question: what is SPQR doing there? No authority but Rome, roughly translated. But it meant Rome as a governing center of its Empire. Puzzled. It’s not about the Vatican. Anyway, interesting massive procession. Are the membership groups like trade unions?
Boud:
SPQR (the Senate and the Roman people) is to commemorate the time when the passion of Jesus Christ took place. Strange! The brotherhoods are associations of the individual parishes (usually open to anyone but family connections are a historic part). Their primary purpose is organizing events for religious festivals and they’re strongest in southern Spain. They began in the 13th century to help the nobility maintain order. They no longer have official powers (thankfully).
I can’t distance my head from the kluklux clan
How sad x
finlaygray:
It’s still a bitch chilling for us, but not like the first times we saw them.
I cannot look at those hats in any color with thinKKKing something’s odd.
Bob:
It took me a while to get used to seeing these, but I do still find them a bit chilling.
The penitent in the forth photo clearly didn’t use enough starch in his/her capirote — another sin for which to atone, LOL! Black, blue, red, white or pink with purple polka dots, those costumes scream KKK. With creep factor off the scale, how can the Catholic church still allow/condone such things?! It’s 2025, not 825!
Tundra Bunny:
I saw people arriving with mesh cones (maybe plastic?) ready to be inserted in their limp, pointy heads. How can the Catholic church condone A LOT of things? And how can some very intelligent, enlightened people put up with it?
It’s like Carnaval, don’t they dance a samba on the way?
Laurent,
Now THAT would be fun to see.
Oh how creepy this all looks! I am sure it must give the penitents a rush…..in a good way.
Jim:
For many, I think, it’s the highlight of the year.
See? it’s not just intellectuals who are pointy-headed.
Kirk,
Ha! And we love them down to their pointy little heads.
Capirote erectile dysfunction? Isn’t there a pill for that?
Debra,
There’s a pill for everything else. Why not?
Like many of the other commenters, when I saw the last photo, I couldn’t help but think of the KKK. It’s interesting to me how one culture can look at something like this and think nothing of it, and Americans look at this and think of evil and awful things.
Michael:
Our friends in the UK also immediately think KKK. It’s difficult to separate.
It is hard to separate. For me, the image is quite creepy.
Michael:
Honestly, it still is for me even after living here nearly 14 years. It just doesn’t shock me the way it used to.
I bet you were really shocked the first time you saw these get-ups.
Michael:
We were both chilled. They still make me uncomfortable, but for me than just the KKK connection.
Even knowing, rationally, that this is not representative of what it would be here, it disturbs me to my bones.
Ms. Moon
Ms. Moon:
It takes living here a while to get over some of the shock. But it still gets to me.