Posts Tagged With: processions

Cofradía del Silencio

Posted on April 3, 2013 by criscopolo

This procession was the one that I was able to best document photographically, so it was fortunate that this procession even happened.  It had been raining when Isa and I went for a walk along the other side of the River Duero at about six and we feared that the rain wasn’t going to stop before the procession started at half past eight.

I had to attend this Cofradía (also called Real Hermandad del Santísimo Cristo de las Injurias) by myself because Isa had an appointment with the dentist. The most important part of this procession happens in the beginning at the Plaza de la Cathedral. Therefore, it was important that I arrived in advance. The only real way to take good photos is to be in the first row, so I arrived an hour before the procession was set to start.

All lined up and ready to go an hour beforehand

All lined up and ready to go an hour beforehand

Already, most parts of the plaza were filled 2-3 people deep. I spotted one strip along a wall where it seemed I could potentially get into the front. Here, where there wasn’t much space between the yellow fences and the wall, people were standing against the wall in a single row instead of being pushed up against the fence. There was still some space available, as long as someone was willing to slide over for you.

I made my way in to where there was the biggest space. I smiled at my neighbor who smiled back, but who then had me move to his other side because “it would be better.” Probably better for him as I might have blocked a bit of his view. He was between me and the archway where the procession would enter. On my other (left) side, were two older women sitting on portable chairs. We stood against the wall, occasionally watching the preparations, until a wave of people came to join us in this area. It was now important that we stand against the fence to save our spots.

I watched as they moved the incensarios (censers) from the church to the staging ground. I saw some cofrades putting on their caperuzos. As darkness finally settled over the plaza, the last of the cofrades exited through the archway to my right.

The Story Continues…

Categories: Culture, Holiday, Photography, Spain, Travel | Tags: , , , , | 1 Comment

Cristo de la Buena Muerte

Posted on March 30, 2013 by criscopolo

The Second Procession

After the first procession I saw, Isabel and I headed for a quick dinner with her friends. We went to a bar where we ate a bunch of tapas, and only paid five euro each person. The next procession was due to begin at 12:00 midnight, and only one of Isa’s friends was strong enough to brave it with us. This procession was to end at the Plaza de Santa Lucía, where the brothers would then sing. This is one of Isa’s favorite processions, and so far it has been my favorite as well.

We arrived a little bit after 11, and already the standing room in the plaza was becoming full. A few feet was left between some plastic yellow fences and the walls, leaving the rest of the space open for the procession. Even at 11, we were lucky to find a spot in the front line. We made our own line across the opening of a street. It turned out to be the best possible place to watch the entrance of the procession.

Hermandad Penitencial del Santísimo Cristo de la Buena Muerte

We knew we had a long, cold wait ahead of us, and had prepared by buying pipas (unshelled sunflower seeds) to snack on. It is a traditional way to pass the time while waiting during Semana Santa. The procession finally reached us at 1 am. With silence from the crowd, each brother entered quietly with his head down, wearing tan robes and sandals, and carrying a large candle. Some of the men walked barefoot, whereas those who carried Jesus wore black leather loafers or boots. Four or five photographers ran and crouched in front of us to photograph the procession as it ambled toward the plaza. All but one was shooed away to make space for their entrance, and he was the one who shot me a look of sympathy when the battery in my camera died. The entrance of the procession had just arrived and the singing had not yet begun! Such was my luck!

(Earlier in the night I had seen that I had three out of four bars of battery, and it was not until my camera did the same thing a few nights later that I realized my battery might not have been dead after all. If I had fiddled with it a bit more, I might have been able to bring it back to life.)

The brothers carried in a image of Jesus on the cross, tilted at about a thirty degree angle. It was made in 1585 and is attributed to Ruiz de Zumeta. While the other cofrades lined the plaza, the men carried Jesus to the center, where fifteen men began to sing their haunting song, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem.” (You can see a youtube video here). When the finished, a torrent of black-clothed photographers was unleashed to move about the plaza. The brothers then continued with another song, and then sang as the entire procession left the plaza.

It was late, it was cold, but it sure was worth it!

Links:

Cristo de la Buena Muerte on Wikipedia

Jerusalem on Youtube

Categories: Culture, Holiday, Photography, Spain, Travel | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

Semana Santa in Zamora: The First Procession

Posted on March 29, 2013 by criscopolo

Introduction

I was invited by my friend Isabel to visit her in her hometown of Zamora for Semana Santa (Holy Week). Zamora, in Castilla y Leon, along with Seville and Málaga in Andalusia, are the towns most famous for their celebrations during this week. In Zamora, there are seventeen processions, beginning with the first one of this year on Thursday, March 21st at 20.00 and ending with the last one at 9.00 on Easter Sunday (Domingo de Resurrección), March 21st. There are two to three processions per day, and each one is enacted by a different Cofradía (brotherhood or guild) and takes a different route through the city. The earliest of these Cofradías (San Cipriano) was founded in the fifteenth century.

These processions are attended by masses of people lining the streets along the route and are covered extensively on TV. Thousands of people come to Zamora just for Semana Santa. I have heard both Isabel and her friends say that this is their favorite week of the year here in Zamora, as many of their friends come home and everyone parties during the entire week.

The processions usually consist of the cofradías wearing their respective capirotes (hoods) and tunicas, musicians, standard bearers, and of course the “floats” themselves, called pasos procesionales, which are actually carried on the shoulders of the costaleros.

While these outfits look like something from the KKK to anyone growing up in the US, they are nothing of the sort here. The cofrades were originally worn while doing penitence to hide the faces of those who survived the Black Death. Here the hoods are linked to devotion, service, and thanks to God.

When not in use, most of the pasos are stored in the Museo de la Semana Santa.

Jesús en su Tercera Caída

The first procession, Hermandad de Jesús en su Tercera Caída, began at 8:30 on Monday. Isa and I arrived a little bit before 8, to meet with her friends that had already saved space on the curb. Although the processions was not due to arrive for at least another 45 minutes, all of the front row spaces along the street were filled. We chatted as we waited, and when we caught a bit of breeze that held the sound of trumpets and drums, we knew the procession was about to arrive.

This event was incredibly difficult to photograph. Dimness, movement, oddly-colored street lighting, crowds, and the striking contrast between the black and white parts of the tunicas created havoc for the camera, which cannot follow as the human eye can. You can, however, still see all three pasos procesionales.

There’s Photos!

Categories: Culture, Holiday, Photography, Spain, Travel | Tags: , , , , , | Leave a comment

Blog at WordPress.com.