This month marks the return of one of the holiest and most anticipated weeks of the year in Sevilla: Semana Santa. Starting on Palm Sunday, faithful porters called costaleros from some 60 churches around Sevilla will carry pasos (elaborately decorated floats adorned with large wooden statues of Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and other biblical figures) from their home churches to the Seville Cathedral and back again. Weighing between 1000 and 5000 kilos, the pasos can require hundreds of costaleros to carry them through the narrow and winding streets. They will be accompanied by bands with extensive percussion and brass sections and groups and a number of members of the churches’ brotherhoods: the Nazerenos. It is these penitents, dressed in their traditional robes and capirotes that often give American tourists pause.
Unfortunately, Americans associate the tall pointed hoods with a well-known racist organization in the U.S. But there is no connection to the two groups, nor has there ever been. The hoods that the Nazarenes are rooted from 16th century actions of the Spanish Inquisition – many hundreds of years before the formation of the infamous American hate group. Over many years the Inquisitorial robes and hoods became powerful symbols representing penitence and humility. Whether founders of the U.S. group saw the Nazarenos and were inspired or whether the similarity is purely coincidental is a matter of debate. But anyone watching the solemn and holy processions during Holy Week should do their best to put their negative associations aside and enjoy the centuries-old traditions celebrating Semana Santa.
Enjoy Semana Santa in person next year as a resident of Spain! Email us to find out how to make it possible!
