My first Holy Week in Spain

I hope you had a great Holy Week and spring break! It seems like many people enjoyed many traditions and festivities for the first time in two years.

For me, it was my first time in Spain during this special week. My sister visited me and we got to experience a lot of new places and events together!

My sister and I in Zuheros

We watched many processions in the streets of Lucena. It was lovely to see the lively streets filled with people enjoying time with family and friends and reflecting the holiday! This is what I noticed during Holy Week in Lucena:

Midnight Procession

• The weather was finally perfect just in time for the processions!
• The midnight, silent procession was very peaceful and beautiful. 
• All of the spectators wore their best, most fashionable outfits.  
• Families stayed out very late in the night to watch the processions, even those with babies!
• The traditional outfits of the participants of the processions was very shocking to us. The conical hats and face coverings appear to be like the dress of a racist, hate group in the USA; however, we know that in Spain it has absolutely nothing to do with this group. We had to remember that here, the dress is religious and symbolic. 

Overall, it was unlike anything I had experienced before. Spain has more religious Easter activities than United States. In the USA, many people today focus on the Easter Bunny, Easter eggs, and chocolate candies. It was nice to see so many cultural traditions during this week. 

My sister and I were inspired by the traditions and how everyone gathered together. It was amazing!

What did you do during Holy Week?

-Sierra