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

Sun Mar 23 10:10:54 PDT 2008

Holy Week is a lot more humble in Sahagun, but the people here are still inordinately proud of their collection of 17th-century pasos and their many trips through the streets during Holy Week. So far as I know there are only two or three confradias who carry the pasos and participate in the parades. 

(the paso of the three Marys is traditionally carried by the "Kintos," the young people from the town newly signed-up for military service. This year they all wore blue t-shirts and scarves, and partied ALL NIGHT Thursday. I know. I live upstairs from their favorite bar...) 

The auction for a place in particular parades is still jealously contested... this year, my Sahagun next-door neighbor bid a breathtaking 2,000€ for the right to carry la Virgen de Soledad through town the night of Good Friday, for the sake of his mother´s eternal rest. (She died just before Christmas, and he promised her he´d do this, no matter what. And he IS a remarkable singer, and I know from hearing him through the paper-thin apartment walls!) 

And there was my neighbor on Friday night, singing along at the top of his voice with the Coro de San Facundo and the Sahagun community band, belting out in the darkness something that sounded much like Mahler´s fifth. It was very beautiful, visceral, and heartfelt, a real community expression of devotion. Even my cranky old post-Irish Catholic hus Paddy was moved. (we also had a large collection of Santiago Pilgrims on hand, snapping photos of everything that moved!) 

When you come through Sahagun you can see the proudly-displayed pasos at the Museo de Semana Santa, built alongside the Mozarab Iglesia de San Lorenzo. It´s a long way from Seville, but it´s wonderful in its way.

Rebekah Scott 
www.moratinoslife.blogspot.com

Rebekah Scott 
www.moratinoslife.blogspot.com

--- On Sun, 3/23/08, Sue Kenney <sue.kenney at sympatico.ca> wrote:

> From: Sue Kenney <sue.kenney at sympatico.ca>
> Subject: Re: [Gocamino] The BIGGIE! Guys Holy Week in Seville. Santiago
> To: saintjames at yahoogroups.com, GOCAMINO at oakapple.net, "Rosina" <blaroli at aol.com>
> Cc: acaciopaz at yahoo.com.br
> Date: Sunday, March 23, 2008, 3:44 PM
> Rosina
> 
> Through the sharing of your passion and experience we are
> all inspired and 
> informed. Thank you. Your descriptions are so vivid and
> alive that I feel as 
> though I am there.
> 
> I'm truly honoured that these celebrations have been
> dedicated to the 
> pilgrims. It's a reminder that when the Camino ends,
> the journey begins 
> again and again. Even when it seems as though the path is
> far from my world 
> in Canada, I realize it's with me all the time.
> 
> Easter blessings from snow covered Toronto.
> 
> Sue
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Rosina" <blaroli at aol.com>
> To: <saintjames at yahoogroups.com>;
> <GOCAMINO at oakapple.net>
> Cc: <acaciopaz at yahoo.com.br>
> Sent: Sunday, March 23, 2008 12:04 AM
> Subject: [Gocamino] The BIGGIE! Guys Holy Week in Seville.
> Santiago
> 
> 
> >
> > 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
> >
> >
> >
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