Holy Week in Seville is one of the most important religious and cultural celebrations in Spain, known not only for its profound devotion, but also for its impressive beauty, tradition and uniqueness. Every year, thousands of people flock to the city to live this unique experience, marked by processions, music, religious fervour and excitement in the air. However, behind each paso and each brotherhood, there are curiosities that often go unnoticed. Here we bring you five of the most fascinating.
- How is a brotherhood organised in the street?
Street processions usually begin with the Cross of Guide escorted by two lanterns. The procession of Nazarenes follows this and, for better organisation, is divided into sections separated by insignias. The insignia that always appear in every procession are the Senatus, the Book of Rules, the Simpecado and the corporate standard. It must be said that not all brotherhoods have the same number of sections or insignias. The brotherhoods have between one and three pasos, the most common being two. The first of these represents a passage from the Passion of Christ and the second the Virgin Mary under a canopy.
- The Nazarenes.
The Nazarenes are the members of the Brotherhood who make the Station of Penitence. They are dressed in tunics of different colours, normally the corporate colours of the Brotherhood, and a conical hood covered by a mask that hides the face to maintain the person’s anonymity. These curious garments derive from the habits of the religious orders, while the hood is reminiscent of those worn by the prisoners of the Inquisition during the trials.
- The Official Procession: A common route to the Cathedral.
The sixty brotherhoods that make their Stations of Penitence from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday follow a common route called the Carrera Oficial (Official Route) which runs from the Plaza de la Campana to the Cathedral. This route was established in 1604 by Cardinal Niño de Guevara, who ordered that all the brotherhoods had to make their Station of Penitence to the Cathedral, except those of Triana, which until the 19th century went to the Parish Church of Santa Ana. The Carrera Oficial is the only paying area to see the brotherhoods and the seats and boxes are raffled at the beginning of each year.
- The torrija, that typical Lenten sweet.
During Lent and Easter it is very common to eat typical sweets such as torrijas and pestiños. These culinary delights came about as an aid to the Lenten fasts in which no meat is eaten. Torrijas and pestiños, with their high caloric value, provided the energy the body needed during the period of abstinence. If you want to try this typical dessert, we recommend the Confitería de La Campana, Los Ángeles, Ochoa or Manu Jara.
- More than 48 uninterrupted hours of brotherhoods.
The big days of Holy Week in Seville are Maundy Thursday, the famous Madrugá and Good Friday. These are three days in which the brotherhoods of one day overlap with those of another. The Maundy Thursday brotherhoods are still entering when at midnight from Thursday to Holy Friday the Madrugá begins with the departure of the Hermandad de la Macarena. And just two hours after the entrance of the two Esperanzas, Triana and Macarena, the Hermandad del Cachorro, which will be the last brotherhood of Good Friday to leave (in the early hours of Holy Saturday morning).
- A veritable museum in the street.
If there is one thing that Holy Week in Seville can boast of, it is having images that anywhere else would be deposited in the best museums in the world, which is why the Sevillians treat them with such care and respect. This is the case of the Cristo de la Vera+Cruz, which is more than five centuries old, or the Cristo de Burgos, also dating from the 16th century. The image of Nuestro Padre Jesús del Gran Poder, the city’s great devotion, is now 405 years old. And it is not only the age of these images, but also the fact that they are works by top Spanish Baroque artists, such as Juan de Mesa, Martínez Montañés, Pedro Roldán and his daughter La Roldana, which makes them highly attractive to art lovers.
- More than 70 brotherhoods… But there used to be more.
There are currently around 70 brotherhoods in the Sevillian Holy Week, with an average of 8 brotherhoods a day. But there were other brotherhoods that no longer exist today, although their former Titulars survive in the churches as silent witnesses to the history of this centuries-old celebration. For example, in the case of Triana, to the 7 brotherhoods that nowadays process in procession should be added the Virgen de la Parra, the Borriquita de Triana, Los Mareantes, the Ecce Homo, the Tentación de Cristo, etc.
