Holy Week in Seville
Holy Week in Seville is one of two biggest annual festivals in Sevilla, Andalucía, Spain, the other being the Feria de Abril, which follows two weeks later. It is celebrated in the week leading up to Easter, and features the procession of pasos, floats of lifelike wooden sculptures of individual scenes of sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary, or images of the grieving Virgin Mary.
Some of the sculptures are of great antiquity, considered artistic masterpieces, and hold cultural and spiritual significance for the local Catholic population.
The processions
There are up to three pasos in each procession. The pasos dedicated to Jesus use figures of wood, wax, and wire to depict scenes from the Passion, and are usually covered in gold. The pasos dedicated to the Virgin Mary are usually covered in silver, and depict Mary weeping for her Son and sometimes holding Him in her arms.The processions are organized by hermandades and cofradías, religious brotherhoods. Members precede the pasos dressed in penitential robes with capirotes, tall, pointed hoods with eye-holes. The capirotes were designed so the faithful could repent in anonymity, without being recognised as self-confessed sinners.
Nearly 70 cofradias take part, each with their own image, as well as colourful misterios, on elaborately decorated pasos. They may be accompanied by brass bands. The processions follow a designated route from their home-churches and chapels to the cathedral, usually via a central viewing area and back. The ones from the suburban barrios may take 14 hours to return to their home churches.
The processions continue from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday morning. The climax of the week is the night of Holy Thursday, when the processions set out to arrive at the cathedral on the dawn of Good Friday, known as the madrugá.
The marching order
The core events in Semana Santa are the processions of the brotherhoods, known as estación de penitencia, from their home church or chapel to the cathedral of Seville and back. The last section before arriving to the cathedral is common to all brotherhoods and is known as the Carrera Oficial.The standard structure of a procession is:
- A great cross is carried at the beginning of each procession.
- A number of people dressed in a habit and with the distinctive pointed hood, and holding long wax candles, marching in silence. These are the nazarenos. Colours, forms and details of the habit are distinctive for each brotherhood – and sometimes for different locations within the procession. Usually the Nazarenos march in pairs, and are grouped behind the insignia. Moving between the lines are diputados de tramo, guardians who maintain the organization of the formations.
- A group of altar boys, acolytes, dressed in vestments, with chandeliers and incense, and other servants.
- The Paso. A float or platform that carries sculptures depicting scenes from the Passion of Christ or the Virgin Mary. These floats are an integral part of the processions during Holy Week. They are often large and ornate and carried through the streets by members of religious brotherhoods or cofradías. Each paso is a work of art and devotion, and they play a central role in the elaborate and solemn processions that take place during the week.
- When applicable, the musical group follows or precedes the paso.
- A number of penitentes, carrying wooden crosses, making public penance. They wear the habit and the hood of the brotherhood, but unlike the nazarenos, they do not have a pointed hood.
Although this is the standard structure, depending on the traditions of each brotherhood, details may vary.
A procession can be made up from a few hundred to near 3,000 Nazarenos and last anywhere from 4 to 14 hours, depending how far the home church is from the cathedral. The largest processions can take over an hour and a half to cross one particular spot.
The ''paso''
At the centre of each procession are the pasos, an image or set of images set atop a moveable float of wood.The first one would be a sculpted scene of the sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary:
- The Agony in the Garden.
- The Scourging at the Pillar.
- The Crowning with Thorns.
- The Carrying of the Cross.
- The Crucifixion and Death of our Lord.
The sculptures themselves are carved and painted, and often lifesize or larger. The oldest surviving were carved in the 16th century, though new images continue to be added. Those highly regarded artistically include the Nuestro Padre Jesús del Gran Poder and Santísimo Cristo de la Buena Muerte by Juan de Mesa y Velasco, Francisco Antonio Ruíz Gijón's Santísimo Cristo de la Expiración, and the two virgins named Nuestra Señora de la Esperanza from Macarena and Triana. All of the principal images of the Semana Santa are on display for veneration in their home churches all year round.
A distinctive feature of Semana Santa in Seville is the style of marching of the pasos. A team of men, the costaleros, supporting the beams upon their shoulders and necks, lift, move and lower the paso. As they are all inside the structure and hidden from the external view by a curtain, the paso seems to move by itself. On the outside an overseer, guides the team by voice, or through a ceremonial hammer el llamador attached to the paso.
Depending on weight, a paso requires between twenty-four and fifty-four costaleros to move. Each brotherhood has a distinctive way to raise and move a paso, and even each paso within the procession.
The music
Some processions are silent, with no musical accompaniment, some have a cappella choirs or wind quartets, but many feature a drum and trumpet band behind the image of Christ and a brass band behind the Virgin playing hymns or marchas from a standard repertoire Those associated with the images of Christ are often funeral in nature, while those associated with the Virgin are more celebratory.As each procession leaves its home church,, at its return, and along the march route, improvised flamenco-style songs may be offered by individuals in the crowd or from a balcony. These songs are generically called saetas.
Whenever the images depart or arrive at their home churches or chapels, Marcha Real, the national anthem, is played and proper courtesy is done for both the images and the performance of the anthem.
The official route
Many of the processions pass through an official viewing area which occupies some of the city's main streets, beginning in Campana, followed by Calle Sierpes, Plaza San Francisco, and Avenida de la Constitución, before reaching the cathedral. Due to the increasingly tight schedule over the week, and also the urban growth of the city, a number of recently formed brotherhoods have to procession on Passion Week before Palm Sunday and do not march into the cathedral at all.Traditional dress
The traditional suit worn by women on Thursday is known as La Mantilla. This custom has become revitalised since the 1980s. The outfit consists of the lace mantle, stiffened by shell or another material, and a black dress, usually mid-leg, with black shoes. It is expected for the woman to hold and show a rosary. Jewelry may include, at most, bracelets and earrings.The days of Holy Week
Below is a list of the brotherhoods which make penance each day, as of 2010, with the traditional year of establishment, and a few notes. The names in the list are those in common usage.They are ordered in the same sequence as they enter the cathedral. Unlike other locations, this sequence is not related to the scenes of the Passion their images depict, but on a historically grown set of rules of precedence, tradition, canonical needs, agreements between brotherhoods and logistical considerations.
Rain may affect the processions, some may seek refuge to a nearby church or landmarks and wait for a perfect time to go back to their church, or the Hermano Mayor may fully suspend the procession. There are 11 days of Holy Week as follows:
Friday of Sorrows
Pino Montano. 1982.Pasión y Muerte. 1991.Cristo de la Corona. 1989La Misión. 1949.Bendición y Esperanza. 1992.Saturday of Passion
La Milagrosa. 1998.Divino Perdón. 1992.Dolores de Torreblanca. 1961.Padre Pío. 1986.Agrupación Parroquial Rosario de San Jerónimo. 2015.Palm Sunday
La Borriquita depicting Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The nazarenos corp is exclusively formed by children. The first section of the Hermandad del Amor that goes out in procession.Jesús Despojado. 1936.La Paz. 1939. The paso represents the moment when they are giving Jesus the cross. It is also the first one to go out.La Cena. 1591. La Hiniesta. 1412. The paso represents the moment when Jesus is dead on the cross and Mary Magdalene cries below.San Roque. 1901.La Estrella. 1560. Also known as the Valiente, since it was the only brotherhood which processed in 1932.La Amargura. Late 17th century. The María Santísima de la Amargura was the first Dolorosa to be canonically crowned, in 1954.El Amor. 1508.Holy Monday
San Pablo. 2008La Redención. 1959.Santa Genoveva. 1958. This brotherhood's image of the captive Christ is usually escorted by a sizable number of street-dressed women undertaking private penance.Santa Marta. 1946. The nazarenos of Santa Marta dress in black because their paso depicts the transportation of Christ's body to the tomb. As of 2007, the only brotherhood whose costaleros are still de jure paid for the task.San Gonzalo. 1943Vera+Cruz. Founded in 1448 and revived in the early 20th century.Las Penas. 1875.Las Aguas. 1750.El Museo. 1575.Tuesday of Holy Week
El Cerro del Águila. 1989. It is the brotherhood travelling furthest to make station; the procession lasts some 14 hours.San Benito. Founded by shipbuilders in Triana in the 16th century.El Dulce Nombre. 1584. It is known popularly as the Bofetá because its current paso represents the moment when, after Jesus has been detained, he is slapped in the face by a servant.La Candelaria. 1922.San Esteban. 1926.Los Javieres. 1946.Los Estudiantes. 1924. The image of Cristo de la Buena Muerte is considered the masterwork of Juan de Mesa y Velasco.Santa Cruz. 1904.Wednesday of Holy Week
El Carmen. 2007El Buen Fin. 1590.La Sed. 1979.San Bernardo. 1748.La Sagrada Lanzada. 1591.El Baratillo. 1693.Cristo de Burgos. 1883. The Christ is considered the masterpiece of Juan Bautista Vázquez el Viejo.Los Panaderos. 18th century.Las Siete Palabras. 1561.Holy Thursday
Los Negritos. Prior to 1400. Up to the mid 19th century, only black people could be full members.La Exaltación. 16th century. Nicknamed los caballos.Las Cigarreras. 1563. It is the brotherhood of this day with the fewest. The image of the María Santísima de la Victoria Coronada is considered by several experts as one of the most beautiful in the city.Monte-Sión. 1560.Quinta Angustia. 1541.El Valle. 1590.Pasión. 1531. The image of Nuestro Padre Jesús de la Pasión is a masterpiece of Juan Martínez Montañés.Good Friday (early hours) ''La Madrugá''
Starting a little while after midnight into Good Friday, and lasting sometimes until midday, the Madruga is the high point of the processions in Seville.El Silencio. 1340. Considered the oldest existing brotherhood. The whole procession is followed by the watching crowd in silence. Penitents and the Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno image carry the Cross backwards.El Gran Poder. 1431. The image of Nuestro Padre Jesús del Gran Poder is one of the most venerated in Seville and elsewhere. It's called "El Señor de Sevilla". This image has got a lot of followers.La Macarena. 1595. The most popular image of the Virgin in Sevilla. It's called "La Señora de Sevilla". Her presence arouses passion in the watching crowds. At 14 hours, it is one of the longest, and also one of the most applauded.El Calvario. 1571. The smallest and shortest procession of the night.La Esperanza de Triana. 1418. The Virgin of Triana. She is also known as the "Reina, Madre y Capitana de Triana". A long and festive procession.Los Gitanos. 1753. Even now, the hermano mayor is expected to be a gypsy.Good Friday
La Carretería. 1550.Soledad de San Buenaventura. 1847.El Cachorro. 1689. The image of the crucified expiring Christ, made in 1682 by Francisco Ruiz Gijón, is a masterpiece.La O 1566. It was the first brotherhood of Triana to process across the river to Sevilla, on April 9, 1830.Tres Caídas de San Isidoro. 1605.Montserrat. 1601.Sagrada Mortaja. 1692.Holy Saturday
El Sol 2010.Los Servitas 1696.La Trinidad 1507.Santo Entierro c. 1570. With representatives of public authorities, civic bodies and legations from most other brotherhoods. Traditionally founded by King Saint Ferdinand III.La Soledad de San Lorenzo. 16th century.Easter Sunday
La Sagrada Resurrección. 1969. It is the last of the brotherhoods to make their procession, ending Holy Week celebrations.History
The origins of the penitential Holy Week in Seville are to be found in the late Middle Ages, but details are scarce.By 1578 already over 30 brotherhoods performed penitential processions during the Holy Week.
By 1604 Cardinal Fernando Niño de Guevara, gave the first ordinances mandating all Sevillan confraries to make a stop in the cathedral and assigning certain time frames for this.
In the 20th century the forms of Holy Week were revived. In the anticlerical period of the Second Spanish Republic, churches, images and goods were destroyed on July 18, 1936, and thereabouts. There were changes in the period immediately following the II Vatican Council, which coincided with the social changes in Spain around the death of Francisco Franco.