Semana Santa, the week leading up to Pascua, Easter Sunday, is probably the most important holiday season of the religious year in Spain. In my pueblo the week is marked with various religious processions, for which Spain is well known. I went out on Viernes Santo, Good Friday, to try to capture a bit of the feeling in the streets.
The procession consists of three Pasos, decorated floats. The first was St. John, San Juan, carried by a brotherhood of local catholic men wearing all red robes. Then came Mary, carried by men in black. And the culminating float was of Jesus on a cross, carried by men in purple.
The large Pasos never stopped moving. When the procession would stop from time to time in the streets, the men swayed side to side in unison keeping the energy and movement constant.
The procession made a stop in the main town plaza in front of the Ayuntamiento, town hall, where an intricately choreographed dance of between the float of Jesus and Mary took place. Back and forth, toward and away from each other. Raising and lowering the floats. It was a dance that seemed to come from some other time in history. The procession ended with a slow march up to the town church.
If you plan to visit a Spanish Pueblo or city for Semana Santa, book your lodging early. Our town was completely full. Every AirBnB, every hostel booked well in advance.