Semana Santa in Seville © Michelle Chaplow |
|
Semana Santa in SEVILLA
Guide to Holy Week / Semana Santa in Andalucia
Semana Santa processions explained in detail
Strictly speaking this is a religious festival, but for most of the week, solemnity isn't the keynote - there's a lot of carousing and frivolity, and bars are full day and night with entire families, from grandparents to babes in arms staying up until three or four in the morning.
In essence, Semana Santa involves the marching in procession of brotherhoods of the church and penitents, followed by elaborate floats on which sit seventeenth century images of the Virgin or Christ. For months beforehand, the bands practice their short, fervent flamenco style hymns about the Passion and the Virgin's sorrows throughout the city.
Seville has various shops dedicated to the sale of Nazareno robes, including sandles and Capirote. Many of these shops can be found on the Calle Alcaiceria de la Loza. The cone shape Capirote are made to measure while you wait.
Nazareno
Throughout the week, the processions leave churches all over the city from early afternoon onwards, snaking through the city and back to their resting place many hours later. Good Friday morning is the climax, when the procession leave the churches at midnight and move through the town for most of the night. The highlight is the arrival at the cathedral in the early hours of the morning. On the Thursday, the local women wear black and it's considered disrespectful for tourists to wear T-shirts and shorts.
The final lap of the official route goes from La Campana to Calle Sierpes to the cathedral and around the Giralda and the Bishop's Palace. This is a good area to watch the processions. Grandstands are erected in the main squares, you may be able to buy a back row seat as the best sell out weeks in advance.
Without doubt the local heroes of the night are the lads who carry the thrones. Always hidden away in Seville, but you might catch a glimpse when they pop out for a well earned drink.
The processions take place during the week leading up to but not including Easter Sunday.
Discover more about Semana Santa in Andalucia.
Semana Santa in the towns of Andalucia
Málaga's Holy Week celebrations were declared to be of interest to International Tourism in 1965 and they have also obtained the regional stamp of approval "Fiesta of National Interest". Thousands… More →
Each procession has a short name and an official long ecclesiastical name representing a part of the Easter story. the processions are organised by the brotherhood associations. The processions… More →
There are six days of processions in Estepona during Semana Santa. These days are Palm Sunday (Domingo de Ramas), Easter Wednesday (Miércoles Santo), Easter Thursday (Jueves Santo), Good Friday (… More →
Málaga's Holy Week celebrations were declared to be of interest to International Tourism in 1965 and they have also obtained the regional stamp of approval "Fiesta of National Interest". Thousands… More →
Jaen capital is yet another Andalusian city that has a certified "Fiesta of National Touristic Interest" and as in every other corner of the province, jinienses (residents of Jaen) believe their… More →
Like so many others, the Holy Week processions in Huelva are certified as "Fiesta of National Touristic Interest" and thus touted as one of the best in Spain (we'll leave that to each visitor to… More →
Processions take place throughout the province along with Passion Plays as well. There is one more special claim to fame by the provincial capital in that no where else in Andalucia can you… More →
Semana Santa is celebrated in Córdoba capital and throughout the province with numerous villages having obtained the government stamp of approval "Fiesta of National Touristic Andalucia".
Semana Santa in Cádiz province is celebrated with great fervour and passion. The provincial capital, Cádiz, holds tremendous, extravagant processions - on par with those of all the other… More →
We hear a lot about Holy Week in Seville and a few other provincial capitals like Huelva and Málaga, but very little about Almería. You might be surprised then to learn that Almería deserves more… More →
Strictly speaking this is a religious festival, but for most of the week, solemnity isn't the keynote - there's a lot of carousing and frivolity, and bars are full day and night with entire… More →
In 1993, a young woman from the village of Luque in Cordoba had the idea of creating an hermandad (church brotherhood which goes out in a procession in Holy Week) specifically for women. The… More →
Future Semana Santa Dates
Semana Santa future dates are found in the info box on our Semana Santa home page
