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After Christmas, Semana Santa is
Spain's second most important event
of the year. Celebrated with much
pomp, the event involves street processions
each evening in various Spanish towns.
Semana Santa is celebrated from Palm
Sunday till Easter Sunday and so is
celebrated in a grander manner.
During Semana Santa or the Holy Week,
statues of saints are carried by people
on wooden platforms or floats. While
the atmosphere remains that of mourning
and gloom and might seem quite oppressive
to the onlookers, with the advent
of Easter Sunday everything changes
and again the days get filled with
light and color. One can also hear
the church and cathedral bells ringing
throughout the country during this
period.
Clothes reminiscent of the Klu Klux
Klan are worn by the marchers in some
of the processions. This is due to
the fact that they should resemble
the Nazarenos, the inhabitants of
Nazareth. Right from organizing the
penitents and musicians to carrying
the statues, the whole responsibility
lies on the shoulders of the religious
fraternities and brotherhoods. While
the procession is on the move, people
carrying floats bearing sculptures
and models of biblical scenes are
followed by the Nazarenos.
On the other hand, those people who
carry the weight of the floats on
their shoulders are called as "costaleros".
These men carry the "thrones" upon
their shoulders with utmost solemnity
and grace. So as to protect themselves
from getting injured from the wood
constantly rubbing against their shoulders,
costaleros use "costals" or small
cushion pads to protect themselves.
In Spain, Semana Santa is celebrated
in various well-known Andalusian towns
such as Toledo, Cuenca, Burgos, Valladolid,
Segovia and Zamora.
For more information on various other
festivities across the globe, keep
browsing .
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