Notes

During Holy Week the last days of the life of Jesus Christ are remembered. It is a week full of culture, tradition and Catholic religious symbols. In almost all cities and towns there are processions these days, due to the importance of the Catholic Church in the history of Spain. The holidays of Holy Week are Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday. • Palm Sunday remembers the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. At twelve noon people go to a church with olive branches and palms for the priest to bless. • On Holy Thursday we remember the Holy Supper, in which Jesus said goodbye to the apostles. • On Good Friday we remember the Way of the Cross and the crucifixion (that is, the last path that Jesus traveled and his death on a cross). • On Saturday we remember that Jesus is dead and is expected to resurrect. • Easter Sunday is the day that, according to the Bible, Jesus was resurrected and ascended to heaven. In some regions, Easter Monday is also a holiday, the day when the end of Holy Week is celebrated. Each procession remembers a moment from the Bible. This procession has a joyful atmosphere because it symbolizes, as we have said before, the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey. The processions on other days have a serious atmosphere, because they represent the pain that Jesus suffered before he died. However, the Easter Sunday procession once again has a joyful atmosphere. Believers form societies called brotherhoods or brotherhoods dedicated to Jesus or his mother, the Virgin Mary. For example, the Brotherhood of Nazarenes of the Solitude of Santa María. The brotherhoods take a step from a church and carry it through the streets. The steps are structures with decorations, flowers and a sculpture of Jesus or the Virgin. The procession is led by a cross, called the guiding cross. The people who accompany the passage are called Nazarenes or penitents. They are dressed in tunics that are different colors in each brotherhood. Many brotherhoods wear a hood and a hood that hides the face, because in the past those convicted were placed there for religious reasons.

In a procession there may also be Roman soldiers carrying Jesus to the cross. The steps may be followed by marching bands. The costaleros carry the steps on their shoulders. As they are very heavy, the costaleros have to walk very slowly and coordinated. They can go outside or inside the step. The foreman gives instructions to the bearers by speaking loudly and encouraging them. For the foreman, leading the pace is a responsibility and above all, an honor. Costaleros must rest frequently. Now they stop walking. It's hard, but for them it's a privilege. They do it with great enthusiasm and faith, because they offer their efforts to the Christ or the Virgin of whom they are devoted. After a few minutes, they pick up their pace again and continue walking. At the frequent stops someone can sing with great feeling a saeta, a flamenco-style song dedicated to Jesus or Mary. Holy Week is celebrated on different dates each year. Easter Sunday is the first Sunday after the first full moon after the March equinox. This happens in March or April. The period of forty days leading up to Holy Thursday is called Lent. There is a custom of not eating meat on Fridays during Lent, although this custom is followed less and less. A typical Easter dessert is torrijas. This week the schools close. So for many people it is a small spring vacation to rest, or if they can, travel. Thousands of people come to see the processions. Non-believers observe this tradition with respect. Believers feel faith, emotion and a lot of feeling when the procession passes. The most spectacular and crowded processions are held in central Spain, in the cities of Andalusia and, above all, in Seville.