Semana Santa

Semana Santa or Holy Week is the week before Easter.

Semana Santa is a household name in Seville! It is the most important religious week full of traditions, processions, emotions, costumes and even special dishes.

This week commemorates the Passion of Christ, the main element of which is the impressive processions that can be seen in the streets of Seville throughout the day.

The city has an emotional atmosphere with a deep religious significance.

The processions are organized by the different Brotherhoods in the city.

They start at their Brotherhood's church, then go to the Cathedral and back again.

On richly decorated platforms (pasos) are the large heavy statues of the suffering Jesus and the mourning Virgin Mary. To carry the heavy pasos on their neck and shoulders it often takes up to 50 men, but it is considered a great honor to be allowed to wear the paso. On the way there must be repeated stops to give the porters a rest and when they start walking again, the audience cheers!

The processions are originally penitential processions. Even today, many penitents still walk in the processions. What is particularly striking is their clothing, consisting of a long robe with a pointed hat. The pointed hats are intended for the anonymity of the penitent. The different colors represent the different brotherhoods.

The procession is usually accompanied by a music chapel with melancholic music, drums, bells and incense. However, there are also silent processions, which proceed in complete silence.

The spectators along the route let their emotions run free. The audience cheers, shouts, claps and people weep with emotion.

Every year, Seville is overrun by people who want to experience Semana Santa and you have to be on time to get a good spot along the route. It's great to see the procession up close from the side of the narrow streets. But if you can't stand the hustle and bustle of crowds, you better stick to the wider main streets.

Tip: leaving the paso from the church of the Hermandad de Santa Cruz spectacular, because there is very little space for the porters here, is a piece of art to get the paso out of the church without accidents.