 | | Operation wax clean-up commences. |
By Brenda Padilla
The aftermath of Holy Week in Andalucia is something most tourists never see. Many locals are also able to avoid actually experiencing the devastation left behind as crowds and procession bearers abandon historic city centres to go home and get some rest after a hard week's parading.
But imagine cleaning up the wax from thousands of candles that have dripped over pavement and seeped into brick, tile and cobblestone cracks! Every year town and city halls have to equip their crews with special hot water pressure washers and a whole array of cleaning chemicals and equipment in order to return city streets to their original splendour - or perhaps to a splendour only achieved once a year!
In cities like Seville where palm fronds cover bridges and streets, these must also be cleared away. And then, of course, there are the added tons of rubbish produced by so many eager visitors to this region.
As one might expect, all of this clean up is only carried out at great expense to local taxpayers - but the price is small compared to the monies that flow into local coffers during this most lucrative religious holiday.
Watch a Semana Santa procession
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