SEMANA SANTA IS HERE!! - Linda- Viva Espana!

The desire to experience Holy Week in Sevilla was the impetus for the trip to Spain . At first , I thought I would be there alone so I was so delighted to have Ellie , Shea , Pierce , Paris and Pippa (and Shea’s friend Maryn) join me throughout the week! Missed you Kyle and Alexandra!!💕

Obviously, most Spaniards are Catholic but I wasn’t really prepared for the amazing spectacle that is Semana Santa! Sevilla is known to have one of the most extravagant and lengthy celebrations in all of Spain. Each church has a procession that starts in their home church and weaves its way through the streets of Sevilla to the Cathedral and back home, so you better not be in a hurry to go anywhere or it could be a tough experience! Unfortunately, we experienced that and it was pretty traumatic . Think a concert with too many people in attendance:( rushing the stage.

I am not prone to panic, but had a moment there!!

Ok enough drama and back to the narrative. The processions start on Palm Sunday and go through Easter Day , hitting their peak from Wednesday night to Friday past midnight. They run all night and day !

At this point , I would like to point out that Mother Queen wanted to stay out well past 1 am and had to BEG someone to go with me. My thanks go out to Shea and her friend Maryn who accompanied me for the madrugada processions in spite of being exhausted from their leg from Italy to Sevilla!! Woohoo. El Silencio ( the silence)was the special because you have thousands of people watch in total silence as the procession passes them. There is a DEEP REVERENCE and respect for Christ and Mary that still emanates in this place . It was extremely refreshing and made me so happy!!

The other thing that surprised me is how decked out and well dressed the Spaniards are , especially during this week. Men and women of all ages are dressed to the hilt. They looked amazing and sophisticated! I felt severely underdressed but was in awe of their attire.

A typical couple on Good Friday with tourists behind 😉. There weren’t even sweating in the 85 degree weather . Epitome of class.

El Silencio Procession!!

Ok , I know Spaniards have been doing this for hundreds of years but due to safety regulations in the US , these processions would never happen there! You have thousands of hooded penitents who can’t see a thing through their 2 slit eyes holes in the peaked hats walking with 3 foot tall lit candles and stopping and starting all along the route . We saw MANY close calls where a candle almost hit the person right in front of them.

Let there be no mistake that the Resurrection of Christ is the TRUE miracle of this week but it is seriously miraculous that no one starts on fire or that these floats with hundreds of candles don’t fall over or hit buildings as they are making these tight turns!! You have to hand it to the 30 men who carry each float( with swap outs at certain points) , they are walking blind under the float and take verbal direction as how and when to turn!

The dedication of all participants and viewers is really a tribute to the value they place on this sacred tradition. I was blessed to witness this and share it with my family!