The Eyes of Semana Santa

Madeline Mulkey
Apr 21, 2017
4 min read

The most religious festival I've ever attended where I felt the least religious.

So last week was Holy Week - or as we say in Spanish, "Semana Santa." Now in most places around Spain there are a few parades or celebrations, but Sevilla takes this week to a whole new level. Semana Santa is not just a week of religious reflection, it is a week of festivals, parades with large floats, music, and lots and lots of tourists.

For a full low down on Semana Santa, click here for a short synopsis of the week. It's worth a read, Semana Santa is truly spectacular.

After experiencing the event for myself, I decided I wanted to see what the local community around me thought about this grand event. The results were across the board, and are paraphrased below.

P - I have not missed a paso of the Virgin in my life. Semana Santa is the best week of the year, ask me anything and I will be able to answer.

M - These people completely miss the point. The whole week is about Jesus, and there are men worshiping the ground an idol walks on. They've missed it entirely.

C - I think it is a little hypocritical. I used to watch it with my family every year since I was a little girl but now I see it is very money based, whoever pays the most gets the best spot, biggest float, and best time. That doesn't seem right to me.

I - It's just a big festival. My family and I usually go to the beach because the kids have off. There are lots of tourists around and it's very crowded.

T - It is a festival of the devil.

Love it or hate it, the Mulkey family + aunt Amy experienced it up close and personal, and it was unlike anything else I had ever seen.

Love it

Friday night Andrew and I went out with two of my Spanish friends. The best way to view the pasos is on the side streets where there are less people, but navigating is complicated. Andrew and I were fascinated how my friends knew exactly where the virgin was going to pass at exactly what time, which band went with which virgin, and which streets would be blocked at which times. It was precise and artful.

Both of my friends had participated in Semana Santa in the past as Nazarenos (people dressed in the cone hats) and as members of the band. They are very intense when it comes to Semana Santa. When one girl in our group left early, the others were confused. "Why would you go to bed? It's Semana Santa!" they said. The dedication to the festival is more than a pass time, it is a part of who they are.

Hate it

On the flip side, the following week I went to Bible study and was hit by some very opposing opinions. When our leader asked what Semana Santa meant to us personally and how we observed it in our lives, many of the women could not contain the frustration they held towards the festival and the Catholic church. As Protestant women who were born into the Catholic faith, the disdain that many of them felt was shocking.

It was clear that many of these women had experienced these festival for their whole lives, but now had a change of heart. What used to be an adventure for them, they have now lost all of those happy feelings, and say that they see the festival for what it is, a way to make money and keep up an age old tradition. They say the festival gives no glory to Christ, but rather to the churches and Hermandad's putting on the festival. "It's a shame, using Christ's death like that to give yourself glory. It is a sin."

Afterwards I discussed the experience with one of the Americans pastor wives, and she explained it was a hot topic issue, like politics are for us, that they held very close to their hearts. To bring up the topic was to commit yourself to a twenty minute rant.

Overall View

Semana Santa in Sevilla was unlike anything I had ever seen before. Excluding the fact that the Nazarenes look quite similar to a very different group in the US, the traditions that are kept up are mind blowing.

I have decided that from a cultural standpoint, I very much enjoyed Semana Santa. I enjoyed seeing the passion that my friends had for it, the artisanship of the floats, and the reverence that the whole town seemed to have for the event.

Now from a religious standpoint, I did not gain much from watching the Virgin walk by in very unrealistically royal clothing, but I am able to appreciate what others gain from the experience. I am also able to appreciate the direct access that we have to the Lord, without the need to pray to an intermediary.

As I embark on my last official week of my program, I have final exams. So studying, packing, and planning my trip for May. It is very hard to believe my time here is almost over, but I have to thank the Lord every day for the love and welcome I've been shown while here, and I can't wait for the next leg of the journey.

Thank you as always for your continued prayers, they are much needed!

Peace and Blessings