[Gocamino] The BIGGIE! Guys Holy Week in Seville. Santiago

[Rosina]

The 56 official processions in Santiago commence in individual neighborhood parishes and make their way through their dressed-up neighborhoods to the “official route” that starts twenty blocks or so from the Cathedral which all processions must enter. . Each procession has an image of Jesus, at one stage of the Passion or another, and of Mary.  The images are placed on “pasos” (floats) which are hundred of years old and beautifully carved and adorned.  The floats are borne by men who carry them on beams resting on their necks and held by their arms. Those men are called “costaleros” (sack users) because of the costales (sacks) which they roll around their necks to protect them. The costaleros are underneath the floats and cannot see outside them.  They vary in number from 28 to 56 and go, in rows, under the floats literally shoulder to shoulder, in perfect unison, with only about six inches between the toe of one  and the heel of the one in front. They are directed by “capataces”, leaders, outside the floats who encourage them and direct them through the warren-like cobbled streets of Seville.  Sometimes they turn the corners with only a couple of inches to spare…… It is spell-binding.   The costaleros bear an avergage weight of 20 kgms. (44 pounds) on their necks for about six or so hours before they are relieved.  The air is scarce under the floats and the effort immense;  they can carry the floats for only 10 minutes or so before stopping. When they stop for a few minutes they may sit down and have some water (although many suspect that the water jugs contain more than water).

In centuries past “costaleros” used to be drafted from the shipyards nearby and paid. Today such labor is highly honorary and distinctive and passed from father to son. Applicants for the positions are about twenty times as many as spaces available.

They practice all year…. usually with double the weight that they will eventually carry, under the (very) critical eye of their confraternity powers-that-be.

The most significant processions are those who take to the streets of Seville from midnight to the dawn of Good Friday.  This is in observation of the 13 hours that elapsed between Jesus’ arrest, His trial by the rabbis of the Sanhedrin at the Jerusalem Temple where he was condemned to death, the ratification of the death sentence by the Roman Procurator, Pontius Pilate, and His execution by crucifixion at Mount Calvary.

The most significant Confraternities come out that night: Gran Poder, Triana and the Macarena, among others.

In the site below, when the letters denoting the days come out, press on the second M which stands for “Madruga” (Andalucian for Madrugada, or dawn). Go to the Icon for the second Triana and you’ll see, and hear, a most masculine, and gorgeous, Holy Week participation. The float depicts Jesus faltering under the Cross and being led by a Roman soldier on a horse.  The images were carved a few hundred years ago and the face of Jesus in that float is one of the prettiest ever. (In fact, I have a painting of that face on tiles in my bedroom, at one side of my bed…. On the other side I have, of course, a tiled painting of the Macarena).

The music that you will hear accompanying the float will blow your mind…. Really. You will hear the “capataz” encouraging the costaleros by telling them to lift the float “to heaven”  in honor of costaleros past, some of whom are already in heaven, looking down.   The choreography that the costaleros achieve must be seen to be believed.  The applause from the tens of thousands standing in the streets and hanging out of the balconies, at what must be about 3:00 a.m.,is for the costaleros.

If you can take some more excitement,  go back and click on the first “Triana”…. You will hear that the band was replaced, in part, by a choral group of confraternity members singing to their Virgin/.

And lastly, in that group, you can see, my very own Macarena, and hear one of the hundreds of “marches” written for her.

The “Grand Poder” is something else…… that demands a separate message.



By the way, the Holy Week celebrations in Seville this year are dedicated to Santiago, patron Saint of Spain, and to its piilgrims.



Happy Easter everyone.

 



-----Original Message-----






Pulse a http://www.pasionensevilla.tv/index.php/Videos.html

After you're on that page, you can double-click on the DLMXJMVSRG banner to change days...

D gets you the videos for Domingo de Ramos, L selects Lunes Santo, M is Martes Santo, etc.

The page shows up by default on Domingo, so there are a huge number of other videos available.

I'm happy you're so immersed in the grandest of the Semana Santa celebrations in Spain.

Thank you for sharing it with us.

Abrazos,

Grant

Grant Spangler
GASpangler at hotmail.com
http://groups.msn.com/ElCaminoSantiago
http://community.webshots.com/user/ElCaminoSantiago



__._,_.___ 
Messages in this topic (4) Reply (via web post) | Start a new topic 

Messages | Files | Photos | Links | Database | Polls | Calendar 

This Group is based in the site: http://www.caminhodesantiago.com - Caminho de Santiago de Compostela - O Portal Peregrino. All of information the pilgrims need. 

 
Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required) 
Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch format to Traditional 
Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe 






RECENT ACTIVITY



1

New Members


Visit Your Group 



Best of Y! Groups

Check it out

and nominate your

group to be featured.



Y! Groups blog

the best source

for the latest

scoop on Groups.



Wellness Spot

Embrace Change

Break the Yo-Yo

weight loss cycle.




.

 
__,_._,___