Even the smallest village with a church has some sort of procession and celebration, and the bigger the village/town/city, the bigger and more elaborate are the statues and processions. Regardless of your religious beliefs, the proceedings are very moving.
Our local town is small to medium sized (population of approx 24,000) and has 8 processions over 7 different days. Drums are present at every procession - sometimes just the single drumbeat, and sometimes accompanied by bugles and wind bands.
The processions consist of a huge statue on a base (a trono) carried on the shoulders of up to 70 people (known as Nazarenos) who belong to a range of brotherhoods (called Cofradias). Each Cofradia has its own statue, standard bearers, members and followers. Co-ordinating the lifting and movement of these huge tronos is a major feat of organisation - supervised by a person at the front who rings a bell to give different instructions to the people carrying the trono.
The trono usually leads the procession followed by various groups. First is usually the band of drummers, sometimes alone and sometimes accompanied by bugle bands or wind bands. Second are the members of the Cofradia who dress in floor-length robes and wear pointed hats (called capirotes) with masks attached which cover their faces and have only slits for eyeholes. The capirote has its origins in the Spanish Inquisition, when people who were punished for religious reasons were forced to wear them, so everyone would identify it as a sign of penance. Third are the general public carrying palms, candles or whatever is pertinent to the procession. The procession winds around the backstreets until it emerges onto the main street (the Calle Mayor) and ends in the Church square.
Mass is said many times each day except for Good Friday, which is the only day in the Catholic Church when Mass is not said.
All ages are represented in the processions, from 3 years to 93 years - each playing their own part. Religion really is a cradle to grave commitment in Spain.
Friday March 22nd
This procession is called "Via Crucis" or the path of the cross. Along the route are 14 stations of the cross, and at each one the procession stops and a reading is given. This of course takes a tremendous amount of time and can last for hours. On the previous day the Via Crucis for children was held, but with a much reduced route.
Full photo gallery here
Sunday March 24th
Two processions today, the first being the Procession of the Palms representing Jesus' triumphant entrance to Jerusalem. Just the one trono in this, which is a joyous procession with lots of music and celebration, with everyone carrying palm fronds or olive branches.
Later there is the Procession of the Capes (Mantillas) which symbolises the hopes of a Mother, with an enormous trono and a huge statue of Mary with a long flowing cape. The roof and the cape are covered in flower petals that fall onto the procession as it moves.. Many of the statues are so tall that to get them through the narrow back streets, a cofradia member is supplied with a hook on a long pole to lift up the electricity wires which stretch across the streets, to allow the trono to pass underneath. Again a joyful celebration of a procession.
Wednesday March 27th
An evening procession (starting at 10:30pm) which involves 4 different tronos starting at 4 different points. The procession is called "Procession of the meeting at the street of bitterness", in which Jesus carrying the cross and his grieving Mother meet, surrounded by Pious Veronica and the Beloved Disciple. This is a masterpiece of choreography and timing and is wonderful to see - the result of hours of practice.
Back in the church square the trono with Jesus carrying the cross was lowered onto the ground, and all the rosemary surrounding him was picked by the Nazarenos and given to the waiting crowd.
Full photo gallery here
Thursday March 28th
This is a very solemn and quiet procession with only the sound of a single drumbeat to accompany it. It is called the procession of silence, and the statue of Christ Crucified is very moving, made all the more so when all the street lights are turned off, and only the candles light the cross.
Full photo gallery here
Friday March 29th
This is the main procession of the week called the holy burial general procession which contains all the tronos already seen and some new ones - a total of 10 tronos. We stood in one spot near the start, and the whole procession took over 2 hours to pass us. It symbolises carrying Jesus' body to his final resting place, and is very sombre and powerful. Some members of the Cofradia take penance to the next level and carry their tronos blindfolded or in bare feet.
Sunday March 31st
Called the meeting procession, this is a joyous occasion as Christ returns from death and comes back to meet his mother. Just the 2 tronos today with an altar set up on the main street to bless them. Lots of joy with firecrackers and confetti with religious images on it. Unfortunately this was rain affected but still went ahead. However in Seville, where the processions and celebrations are some of the biggest in the country, some processions had to be cancelled due to the rain, which resulted in anguish and tears from the penitents and organisers who had spent the previous 12 months preparing for this very important event.
