A resurrection of emotions

The face of the Virgin Mary lined with tears of blood and the heart pierced by seven daggers is a sight which easily stirs the temperamental Spanish blood. Easter in Spain has become popular perhaps because it represents the injustice towards an innocent man and the sorrow of a mother. It is a concept that people identify themselves with spontaneously, says VIRGINIA NIETO- SANDOVAL MILLAN.

EASTER, the religious event that commemorates the passion and death of Christ and his eventual resurrection, has, over the centuries, transformed itself into a cultural phenomenon in Spain. The week-long processions of the Spanish Semana Santa, literally, Holy Week, are among the most spectacular of the European festivals.

Easter, in Spain, is predominantly a Baroque festival. Both in form and concept, it exalts the element of sensuality. Religious sentiments and emotions combined with a sacred and profane element, get accelerated during the celebrations. This is a dominant characteristic of the Semana Santa, particularly, in cities like Seville, Valladolid, Zamora or Cuenca.

The main feature of the Easter celebration is the procession, which is taken out throughout the week. The plazas, streets, lanes and by-lanes through which the procession passes are packed with people who contemplate the images of Christ and the Virgin in silence and veneration.

The celebrations began during the rural festivities that commemorated the beginning of spring. The coincidence of the religious events with the equinox and solstice - the most important moments of the solar year, which regulate the major cycles of nature, specially agriculture, is a common phenomenon among Mediterranean cultures. Easter also coincides with the full moon on the first month of spring, which symbolises the triumph of life over death - the Resurrection of Christ.

The processions of the Semana Santa last from dawn to dawn starting in different parts of the city at different times. Each procession is preceded and followed by rows of men called Nazarenes, clad in long colourful tunics and whose heads are covered with tapering hoods. The Nazarenes carry symbols of Christ's passion, like the crown of nails, a chain and a long candle that illuminates the larger-than-life size images which are carried through the streets on heavy palanquins by a group of men called Costaleros on their shoulders. The images depicting episodes from the crucifixion of Christ and the Virgin's suffering are taken out of the churches and cathedrals for the occasion. The Costaleros swing and sway the palanquins dramatically, giving life to the age-old images, to the rhythm of the beating of drums whose penetrating noise fills the air along with the fragrance of the burning candles and colourful floral decorations. An orchestral music may accompany some of the plaintive and slow moving processions to suit their movements. An occasional silence punctuated by the Nazarenes' staffs hitting against the ground in unison, or a shrill broken voice singing a "saeta", a devotional song emerging from one of the balconies around, or loud ecstatic shouts of the crowds greeting their favourite Virgin - all form part of the inherent spirit of the Semana Santa.

Each procession is followed by large gatherings of penitents and devotees, a tradition which dates back to the 14th Century when the medieval guilds organised these fraternal groups, each comprising members of a certain community representing a particular profession. These homogenous groups, called Cofradias, used to gather under the banner of the church to celebrate various religious events. These religious bodies maintain this tradition every year. The Cofradias help build a healthy rivalry between different fraternities so that the celebrations are livelier than in previous years. During the 17th Century, the Catholic Church adopted a propagandist role, in the development of sculpture, the result of which was an enormous production of images in polychromatic wood. The images are realistic with expressive faces. Thus, different styles of sculptures took birth within the Baroque frame-work (17th Century) in different parts of Spain during this period.

Easter celebrations differ from one province to another. In the northern province of Castilla and Leon, they are austere and solemn, in the southern province of Andalucia, it is marked by emotion and gaiety. The Baroque processions of Valladolid have been converted into magnificent mobile museums of sculpture. For seven days, Jesus Christ will play a special protagonism during this festival. On the other hand, in the agriculture-based Andalucia, where the woman plays an important role, the protagonist is Virgin Mary. The Virgin plays the role of a bride to whom the people sing "saetas" of solace. They cry in joy or simply remain silent in veneration.

In eastern parts of Spain, they enact historical episodes recreating the fight of Christianity against the pagans as Romans or Moors. There are places where the penitents even mortify themselves in fulfillment of a vow or a promise. They walk barefoot in the processions or carry a heavy cross on their back and sometimes even beat themselves till their bodies bleed.

Easter has become popular perhaps because it represents the injustice towards an innocent man on part of the authorities and the wailing of a mother who suffers for her son - a concept that people identify themselves with spontaneously. In reality, the culminating point of the processions is Virgin Mary finding her son cruelly sacrificed.

The face of the Virgin lined with tears of blood and the heart pierced by seven daggers is a sight which easily stirs the temperamental Spanish blood. The invigorating wines and the rich Mediterranean gastronomy form an integral part of any Spanish festival and Easter is no exception. During the processions, the onlookers find time for a quick sip of wine or a snack of Iberian ham. There is even a procession called "the Procession of the drunks" in the city of Cuenca where alcohol flows in abundance.

There is a perpetual contradiction between exaltation of death, grief, silence, asceticism, penitence and abstinence, static images representing historical deeds, official rites of liturgy as against those of life, joy, colourful processions, music, fun, fiesta and wine. Out of this contradiction emerges the cultural phenomenon called the Semana Santa.

The writer is an art historian.

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