It suddenly occurred to me the other day that Easter can only be about 4 weeks away and what better place to go for Easter than Andalucia?
Before we came to live here we used to subscribe to all the magazines about living in Spain and saw the pictures and articles about "Semana Santa" but they didn't really mean that much. So we talked to our Spanish teacher about it when we first came in 2004 and as we were just up the road from Malaga, where they "go to town" for Semana Santa; we made sure we went into Malaga to see what its all about.
We were recommended to go on a Thursday night - so as usual we took the bus (saves all the hassle of driving and more importantly - parking - in Malaga where both activities are hazardous to say the least. Thursday is one of the most spectacular nights of the week. In Malaga and Seville the celebrations last all week but in smaller towns and villages it may only be from Thursday to Sunday.
Okay, so bear in mind that we are not religious in any way although religion fascinates and interests me because I like ceremony and history. You don't need to be religious to be moved and entranced by what happens in Semana Santa. The first thing that hits your nostrils is the heavy scent of incense and candle-wax - incense mainly. Your ears are the first thing to experience the heavy beat of the drums but actually you feel the drums all the way from your feet up to your ears. Then there is the haunting sound of the trumpet.
Its all quite eerie really. The processions of thrones and I mean thrones - these things weigh tons and are carried on the shoulders of men who have to apply to be considered and I believe pay as well. All of the men are either dressed in black suits with white shirts or in robes. Some are blind folded and some bare foot. The penitents follow and there are lots of robes (different colours depending on the parish) and pointy hats and masks.
Malaga: One of the most spectacular features of the Holy Week in Malaga is that the floats are simply monumental and can weigh up to six tons. They are made to house velvet and gold drapes which reach up to some nine metres and cover the "dolorasa" (statues). The sheer size of the floats means that they cannot enter through the churches and therefore have to be assembled in the street. More than a hundred young men support each one. The "Virgen de las Penas" (Virgen of Sorrow) is not dressed in the traditional velvet robe but instead clad with natural flowers comprising more than twenty thousand carnations. (This an excerpt from an obscure website www.dismalworld.com .... nothing dismal about this I can tell you)
I would definitely recommend that one sees it all in Malaga or Seville as well as the small villages. Its very nice in the smaller places but lacks the power of the city. The streets are cordoned off and chairs are set out for those who want to pay. Beware though - food and drink increase in price and decrease in quality for that week (or that was our opinion anyway).
If you need B&B you know where to come!!
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