Spring Break 1 Part 3: No Pasos

On Tuesday of Semana Santa, I woke up early to a seaside view in order to catch a train to Sevilla for the day. I was hoping to see some of the processions in Sevilla, and the weather forecast had said that Tuesday was looking like the best bet for a day without rain.

Wrong. It rained almost all day, but I still walked around for a few hours taking in the toned-down yet still festive atmosphere. I also bought Annie and me an Easter egg to share on Sunday. Easter eggs here are not the same as at home. They are usually made of chocolate and can be the size of your hand or bigger than your head. The tradition is that godparents give their godchildren these eggs for Easter. No Easter bunnies around here!

I don't even think that one front row center would fit into my Easter basket. Good luck hiding that bad boy.

The trip back was not a total loss. Plus, I had not packed any cold-weather clothes because it had been so hot in Sevilla the previous week, and I did not take into account that the wind would make temperatures feel much chillier than what the actual forecast was. Way to go, chief. I swapped out my shorts and dresses for jeans and sweaters, spent the night at my normal apartment (internet functioning all the while), and caught a train back to Puerto de Santa María the following morning.

I wish that I had been able to see a paso (procession), but at least I was able to experience the atmosphere. Processions from other cities in Spain were also broadcast on live television throughout the week if they were able to get out onto the streets without rain interference. The reason that rain ruins these processions is that the statues and details on the pasos are so old and subject to damage caused by rain. People wait all year for these processions, and when they can’t leave, many people ranging from small children to grown men openly cry. It’s a big deal to them.

This is the mantel of one of the Virgin Mary pasos being restored. You can see why the rain would be a disaster for such a paso.

One of the depictions of the Crucifixion that had yet to be placed on its paso.