Festivals of Seville
Seville , the third largest city in Spain, plays year-round host
to a variety of wonderful festivals. From the clop clop of
parading horses to the tap tap of flamenco-ing feet, these
festivals celebrate the Spanish and folk traditions which are so
internationally famous and popular. And the best part? They are
not put on for the tourists; these festivals are celebrated by -
and for - the locals who immerse themselves in centuries of
Spanish tradition in the traditional Spanish manner:
passionately.
The first and most city-stopping of all the festivals is the
annual Easter Week celebration, or, Semana Santa as it is
known in Spanish. Semana Santa evidences how enlightened are
Spain 's social views: the entire city coming to a halt to
celebrate. In honour of Christ and the Christian faith, as many
as fifty different brotherhoods parade through Seville 's
streets carrying ornate pasos (decorated effigies of Christ or
the Virgin Mary). Those locals not participating in the
procession watch it and for this purpose grandstands are erected
throughout the city in front of the major churches.
That is not to say, however, that Semana Santa is all about
worship of the Lord. It would not be sacrilegious to consider
that the very Christian Semana Santa also pays homage to
Bacchus, the Greek god of food and wine. Those Sevilla