A colourful podium of spiritual mayhem

If one visits any of the eight Andalusian cities during the Holy Week festivities, they will witness extravagance to extreme, but especially in Seville, where no expense is spared.
Seville is transformed into a colourful podium during this week of spiritual mayhem and the city shuts down in order to accommodate the hundreds of thousands of people that attend the processions.
Most people who experience Easter in Seville for the first time are overwhelmed by the opulence of the floats. Much skill and precision are required to guide these beautiful icons around the narrow streets, especially around the cathedral and the Santa Cruz district. Some of the nazarenos - the penitents dressed in robes and pointed hats - will embark on their long journeys barefoot and chained at the ankles.

The only sound one hears during a silent procession (lo and behold anyone who talks as the procession passes) is the shuffling of esparto shoes and the rattling of the canopy that covers the image. During processions with musical accompaniment, the pall bearers will sway the float in time to the music and this is generally considered an art that is at its best in Seville.

With the exception of the silent processions, most will include a marching band. The sometimes, mournful sound of the brass and drums can impart a feeling of great apprehension. The music that accompanies the figure of Christ is usually more sombre and consists of a death-like rhythm accompanied by soft wind instrumentation; while the accompaniment of the Virgin is most often an elaborate fanfare of excitement.

Military or police bands consisting of trumpets, cornets, bugles, tubas, trombones and percussion became a standard element of the processions in the 19^th century. Today’s bands are not necessarily linked to the military or police, although they still perform in traditional military-style uniforms.

The core events of Holy Week are the elaborate processions, which set off from their home church and embark on a journey that can take up to twelve hours, passing through the cathedral, before returning to their own church. The only down side of this incredible display of devotion to Catholicism is the fact that the shortest of distances can take hours to complete, due to the streets being packed with spectators.

The women are attired in black and crowned with ornamental hair combs (peineta) and trailing lace shawls (mantillas), giving them an air of nobility. During the daytime, it is traditional to wear a much smaller comb, but at night, the grandest and most decorative combs are sported.

The austere attire is complemented with silk or lace gloves, strings of pearls and broaches of precious stones - a demonstration of the stateliness that Sevillians display at Easter.

From the new book - Seville: a legacy of enchantment

Available from Amazon Order here

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Tony Bryant

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