1. Holy Week in Spain (Easter).
Semana Santa en España.
Holy Week in Spain
(Easter).

2. What is Semana Santa?
Semana Santa (or Holy Week) is the Spanish name for Easter. It dates back to the 16th century when the Church decided to present the story of the Passion of Christ. It was decided that the best way to do this would be a series of processions through the streets, showing scenes from the story of the fall and rise again of Jesus Christ.

4. When is Semana Santa?
In Andalusia, Semana Santa starts on the Sunday before Easter and lasts until Easter Sunday itself, while in Castilla-Leon events run from the Friday before, making ten days of events. In Toledo, Semana Santa celebrations are even longer, starting on the Thursday two weeks before Semana Santa itself.

5. What can you see?
Each day there are a number of processions, made up of floats which are carried from their church to the cathedral and back again. There are two floats, one with Christ and one with his mourning mother, the Virgin Mary.
Each procession is different and each one has its own particular followers, either due to the location of the church or the exact nature of the procession (the presence of or type of music, the time of day, etc).

8. The “Semana Santa en Sevilla" is known for featuring the procession of "pasos", lifelike wood or plaster sculptures of individual scenes of the events that happened between Jesus' arrest and his burial, or images of the Virgin Mary showing grief for the torture and killing of her son.

10. These pasos are physically carried in the shoulders of “costaleros” (literally "sack men", usually bodybuilder types who are used to carrying extreme weights), and can weigh up to five metric tonnes.

12. The pasos are set up and maintained by “hermandades” and “cofradías”, religious brotherhoods that are common to a specific area of the city, whose precede the paso dressed in Roman military costumes or penitential robes.

15. Those members who wish to do so wear these penitential robes with conical hats, or "capirotes", used to conceal the face of the wearer. These "Nazarenos" carry processional candles, may walk the city streets barefoot, and may carry shackles and chains in their feet as penance. A brass band may accompany the group, playing funereal religious hymns or "marchas" written for the occasion.

18. When do the processions take place?
Most processions take place in the evening - the earliest being at about 6pm (especially in Leon) but most at about 9pm. (the exception is Domingo de Ramos, the Sunday before Easter Sunday, which has its activities at about midday.)

20. The biggest procession of the day is usually at about 11pm
The biggest procession of the day is usually at about 11pm. In Toledo the main procession of the day will often be named after the day it is held on - so, for example, the main procession of Miércoles Santo (Holy Wednesday) will be the 'procesión de Miércoles Santo'.

22. Friday is the big day. The events from Thursday evening never really stop, with processions from Thursday night (the early hours of Friday morning) until Friday evening. The events of Thursday night/Friday morning are the most important.

24. The mass of Easter Sunday, the last day of Semana Santa, is also important. The hoods that have been worn throughout the week to signify mourning at the death of Jesus Christ, are taken off to celebrate the resurrection.

26. What is a saeta?
A “saeta” is an element of Semana Santa particular to Andalusia and specifically Seville. It is an outburst of flamenco song, sung from one of the balconies in the narrow streets of the city. In times gone by they were spontaneous, the singer so overcome with emotion that only a flourish of flamenco will be enough to convey their emotions. The procession will stop and listen to the song until it is over.