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Semana Santa (Holy Week)
Customs of Semana Santa
The people of Seville tend to go to watch the processions relatively dressed up. This is true especially on Palm Sunday (preferred day to wear new outfits), Holy Thursday and Good Friday in the afternoon. During these days the men wear a dark suit (tradition even followed by the youth and more modern) and a growing number of women wear the traditional mantilla.
The favorite sweet of the Holy Week are torrijas (type of French Toast), made generally with wine and honey. Serving dishes of these nutritious delights line the counters of cafeterias and pastry shops, bringing joy to customers. Don't leave without trying them.
On Holy Thursday most churches display effigies (Monumento al Santísimo) with the objective of venerating the Eucarist at Christ's Last Supper. The statue displayed in the Cathedral is especially maginificent. It is highly recommended to visit this and other effigies. One can thus enjoy a few minutes of peace and devotion (note: these are places of prayer) before returning to the crowds in the street.
The canopied floats swaying to the rhythm of the music, the clapping which applauds the skills of the men who carry them (costaleros), the saeta that slashes the night, can be considered as shocking compared to the more austere interpretations of Holy Week in other parts of Spain. There is no doubt that all of the above is part of the jubilant way in which the people of Seville live out their Holy Week, in a totally serious way.
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