With all the chocolate eggs and hot cross buns, it can be easy to forget that Easter is a deeply religious holiday, with Christians around the world marking the occasion.
Easter is celebrated in all manner of different ways across the globe, with traditions and ceremonies going back hundreds of years.
In Spain, one of the most well-known Easter celebrations takes place in Seville, in the south of the country. Holy Week, or Semana Santa, is a week-long event taking place in the week leading up to Easter.
Semana Santa is in full swing at the moment, with people from around the country – and from Europe – flocking to the city to soak up the atmosphere. One of the main features of Semana Santa is the procession of pasos – floats featuring lifelike wooden sculptures of scenes from the Easter story.
The processions are organised by religious brotherhoods, known as hermandades and cofradías – associations of Catholics who come together for religious observance.
Members of the brotherhoods take part in the processions, usually marching ahead of their pasos. They are dressed in traditional robes, usually with hoods.
The processions can often be sombre affairs, with members of a brotherhood marching in silence with their pasos. But others are far more lively, featuring drums, trumpets, and, in some cases, a choir.
There’s also plenty of singing and chanting to be heard, with some brotherhoods taking part in improvised songs suggested by the crowds.
Semana Santa is steeped in religious tradition, with historians estimating that it dates back to the 14th century. But that doesn’t mean it’s just for Christians and Catholics.
It is one of the most important dates in Seville’s calendar, and sees the whole city come together for a unique celebration. So whatever your beliefs, Semana Santa will offer you an Easter break with a difference.
(Images: Cyntia Motta, Tatilindo, laurenfrohne, Lobillo)
