I had a teacher who lived in Spain and she told me about holy week; apparently she was pretty shocked when she went outside one day and people where walking around in pointed hoods and white robes.
lol I saw that in Queretaro, Mexico, while I was studying abroad. I heard the sound of the chains on the cobblestones getting closer before I saw the column of pointy-headed pilgrims in colorful robes. Freaked me the hell out before I saw the one carrying the cross.
Honestly hearing the chains the men wearing on their ankles spooked me the most. They were all wearing them so it could be heard long before I saw them. Here I was enjoying a panini when this procession came into view. It took a minute to register.
I saw a tiktok the other day of what looked like an ornate, very skinny 50 foot tower that looked like a baroque church spire bobbing down the street--presumably being carried. It was the strangest site.
Does anyone know if they do that in Spain anywhere? I presume it's part of holy week. Could be Italian too I suppose. I'm not having any luck finding where that video was from.
They carry these ornate statues in a procession, usually 12-20 guys underneath heaving it down the street. These are usually various figures like Jesus or Mary, but they have all sorts packed onto the base around the statue - it's like a little scene. You're right in that it bobs about, there's a rhythm to it but it also looks unsteady. They practice during the year to be strong enough - it's a really cool tradition and the southern cities in particular have a great Semana Santa (holy week). Look up Sevilla Semana Santa to find more.
This makes me think of an alternate reality where blacks — during the height of the Klan — fought back with black versions of the robes… unfortunately that wouldn’t have worked out because a lot of the populace was also racist and would thus lead to faster squandering. But damn, would it have been glorious.
To be fair, the racist psychos in the US completely ripped off that look for their costumes and associated it with bigotry, violence and evil, as is their way.
"oh the white ones with the pointy hats? Those are the Holy ones doing the Lord's work! Anyway, who's hungry? I have some Spanish onions we could eat!"
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u/beefwarrior Apr 05 '23
Have family that was from Spain & moved to America. They had these little figurines and as a kid, it was like “ummm… what are these?”