International College of Seville
www.ics-seville.org
HOLY WEEK
Festivals and cultural events fill Andalusia's calendar. Every town and village has an annual fair featuring parades, dancing, fireworks and bullfights. The celebrations are held from April to October throughout all of the region. Many of the celebrations are religious. Others are often linked with pagan ceremonies marking the end of winter. The variety of fairs and celebrations in Andalucía is as ample as its geography and its calendar is an authentic encyclopedia where the art and customs of its people are resumed. Seville's two biggest annual celebrations are Holy Week and the April Fair.
Semana Santa in Seville is arranged into eight days of processions beginning with Palm Sunday and going through Easter Sunday. For the whole week the city of Seville transforms itself into a living scenario, where religious fervor, passion and an explosion of the senses take over the streets. In essence, it revolves around the marching in processions of brotherhoods of the church (cofradías) and penitents, followed by pasos, elaborate platforms or floats on which sit 17th Century images of the Virgin or Jesus. "Pasos" leave churches all over town from early afternoon onward, moving through the city and back to their resting place hours later.
The events change every day; schedules are issued with local newspapers and are essential if you want to know which events are where. Although Semana Santa is celebrated in many regions of Spain, it is in Seville where it takes on incredible proportions. It is a tradition that is an integral part of the culture and appropriately reflects the spirit of the people.For further information:
