We went during their easter week religious festival Semana Santa, which is a time to mourn Jesus and reflect on the fact he died on the cross to save us from ourselves and to repent for our wrongdoings. As we're not Catholic we felt like guests looking in on some secret society and didn't fully grasp the meaning behind some of the parades and the costumes. That said we definately got the sense from the locals of the community coming together, honouring their traditions and the religious devotion that the parades represented and the visual spectacle of the parades created a great atmosphere for visitors like us.
Above and below are the Nazarenos in their tall pointy hats that look uncannily like the Ku Klux Klan , but apparently there is no connection, although they are no less unsettling as they walk slowly along in silence.       |
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| The constant drumming and the discordant notes from the brass bands that passed through the narrow streets gave me goose bumps, it was so loud and just went right through you. Some in the audience were crying and constantly crossing themselves, and the silence in between the drumming is heavy with emotion. The floats were so intricate and detailed and you had to admire the guys carrying them, around 50 per float, during the heat of the day and at such a slow pace. They stopped ocassionally to rest, and you could peek through and see them with towels on their heads and shoulders to take the weight and their adidas trainers just visible at the bottom which added a nice 21st century touch to proceedings!  |
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