Smell that? It’s incense. Feel that? That’s some sevillano whose trying to push his way past you.
Yes, amiguitos, Holy Week is upon us, the stretch of time between Viernes de Dolores until Easter Sunday where sevillanos dress in their finest, women don enormous combs and black lace veils and pointy capirote hats dot the old part of town. The faithful spend all day on their feet, parading from church to Cathedral and back with enormous floats depicting the passion, death and resurrection of Christ.
I’m not much of a capillita, but ten days of religious floats means ten days of travel for me.
That said, I’m off to Dubrovnik, Croatia and the Bay of Kotor, Montenegro, country #30 on my 30×30 quest. Where will you be during Semana Santa? Do you like Holy Week, or would you rather get your fix in a Holy Week bar?
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Have a wonderful trip! I blurted out to a group of friends the other day, “I hate Easter!” and they all chorused, “Me too!” This was a group of Spanish and Canarian friends so it wasn’t my guirri-ness, but I do come from an English holiday resort, and now live on an island whose economy relies on tourism and this is the single, busiest week of the year, because, unlike Christmas there is no tradition of staying at home for Easter. Yesterday I visited a town specifically to see their Palm Sunday tradition, and it made me uncomfortable. Whereas the passion play in another local town I usually enjoy. Like you, it’s the implication of idolatory that I don’t like.
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Kotor is incredible!!
Awesome, Croatia is high on my list! Congrats on the 30 and have a great time! There will always be another Semana Santa in the year’s to come. As for me, I suppose we will head down to see what this fuss is all about in downtown Malaga; my first Andalusian Holy Week.
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…thoughts? The procession in Malaga look interesting and not as overwhelming – even the Legionarios march!
Have a lovely Easter!
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Thanks for the comments, all! I’ve already drafted three posts on my trip, and there are more to come!
It is interesting to see how ingrained these traditions are in a culture. Scary, too, sometimes. I probably would want to experience it all just once. Looking forward to your take on Croatia.