Easter or Semana
Santa in Cadiz is the busiest
time of the year. The Easter holidays in Cadiz
are colourful event lasting a week . The Easter
celebrations are well worth seeing but what
happens during these celebrations:
What is Semana
Santa or Easter in Cadiz?
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 in a way that the layperson
could understand. It was decided that the best
way to do this would be a series of processions
through the streets, depicting scenes from the
story of the fall and rise again of Jesus Christ.
When do the majority
of activities 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.)
The biggest procession of the day is usually
at about 11pm. In Toledo the main procession
of the day will often be 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'.
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. Unless
you have an excellent capacity to drink large
quantities of coffee, you'll have to miss some
of it to get a little beauty sleep. The events
of Thursday night/Friday morning are the most
important, so plan your sleep around this fact.
The mass of Easter Sunday, the
last day of Semana Santa, is also important.
The hats that have been worn throughout the
week to signify mourning at the death of Jesus
Christ, are taken off to celebrate the resurrection.
(It should be noted that the hoods have nothing
to do with the Ku Klux Klan, to which they are
so often compared. It is said that early KKK
members saw the Semana Santa celebrations and
adopted the costume, so impressed were they
by the effect the design had on onlookers.)
What if it rains?
Semana Santa is an outdoor event - rain is bad
news. With many of the floats very old and easily
damaged, processions are called off with even
the slightest drop of rain. Those involved are
bitterly disappointed - they've waited all year
for this. If rain is forecast, stay away, there'll
be nothing to see.
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. Today, they are invariably preplanned.
The procession will stop and listen to the song
until it is over.
The Costa de la Luz is ideal for
a relaxing holiday or indeed an deal base for
the more adventurous traveller who wishes to
see the real Andalusia. Come
and enjoy the real Andaluz experience!
We have a large selection of apartments, holiday
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available to rent on a weekly and daily basis
For further information:
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