While I wasn’t in Spain to witness it for myself, one of the largest religious celebrations in Spain takes course over ten days in the spring, and it is known as Semana Santa. With this “Holy Week,” Spain (a predominantly Catholic country) celebrates Easter. The festivities begin the more than a week before the day itself, starting on the Friday before Good Friday. For the next week and a half, Spaniards (and many countries who were once under Spanish rule such as the Philippines) gather to watch processions in the streets. These processions, however, are far from the parades we hold in the United States. They last the entire day—six or more hours! Men walk beneath huge statues dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and these costaleros spend the entire year practicing to carry the weight of these elaborate likenesses. They walk the route of the procession in the early hours of the morning, carrying a similar weight (but not the statue itself) so as to prepare their bodies for the hours of physical labor come Semana Santa. The most striking tradition of Semana Santa, however, are the nazarenos. They are men that walk in the procession wearing long, colored robes and pointed hats that are two or three feet in height. All that is visible of their bodies is their eyes, and while it is a sacred custom for the Spanish, it is a look that intimidates and even frightens foreigners and children alike. For most Americans, the nazarenos’ dress is almost identical to that of the Klu Klux Klan, and for this reason their appearance in Semana Santa comes as a bit of a shock. I didn’t get to watch a procession take place, but I did manage to catch of glimpse of the nazarenos, and I can attest to subconscious surprise I couldn’t help but feel. However, these figures have no relation to the KKK, so once the initial jolt of familiarity passes, the processions become a hugely important cultural practice that is exciting to witness!
I have been lucky to watch an authentic flamenco show while I have been here in Spain. My study abroad program took us up the the neighborhood of Sacramonte in Granada—into the caves where the gypsies dwell. There is a thriving population of gypsies here in Granada, and it is this group that puts on most of the flamenco shows. The gypsies can be traced back to India (as I learned after the show), and it was interesting to see just how much India’s culture has influenced flamenco song and dance. The way the men and women moved their bodies and their hands, as well as the style in which the traditional songs are sung caught me by surprise. The connection was evident throughout the show, and for me it was a very flooring experience to watch the fusion of two cultures—Indian and Spanish—alive before my eyes.
