100 Semana Santa Photos…

…that you should see. That’s what the poster says.

And I’ve been walking by it almost daily, telling myself that I really ought to go in and have a look, because I love both old photos and Semana Santa. As usual I left it until almost too late (the exhibit closes on April 8th, Easter Sunday) and so popped in this morning after doing a few errands.

[note: exhibit has been extended to 29th April]

And the poster is right – you really should see these photos.

The oldest, taken on calle Feria, was c.1885 and they go up to almost present day. For me it’s entrancing to look at the people and familiar streets – some places haven’t changed that much – and imagine myself walking there now.

I also liked the “photo boxes” lit from within that were placed around the room on the floor. You can see them in the collage here along with a list of the photographers. The reflection of the blue lights played havoc with my photos, but they are really just to entice you over and see them for yourself.

The exhibit is being held inside the Antequarium, beneath the Metropol Parasols (aka The Mushrooms) in Plaza Encarnación, so it was also a good opportunity to visit the Antequarium again, which I hadn’t seen since it first opened a year ago. At that time it was still unfinished and now it’s looking much more impressive.

Semana Santa en Sevilla
100 Fotografías Que Deberías Conocer
23rd February – 8th April 29th April 2012
10.00 – 19.30 Tuesday – Saturday /10.00 – 13.30 Sundays and holidays

[click on images to enlarge]

Feria 2012 Tribute to Salvador Church


This year marks the 300th anniversary of the completion of the Salvador Church and as a tribute it will be the subject of this year’s Feria portada, still under construction.

According to Seville mayor Juan Ignacio Zoido, the idea is to show that Semana Santa and the Feria de Abril – Seville’s two largest festivals – are not incompatible. Images symbolising the 20th anniversary of Expo 92 will also be depicted on the facade of the portada.

On the right you can see the winner of this year’s Spring Festivals poster competition, created by Antonio Parilla.

[click on images to enlarge]

Semana Santa 2012
April 1st – 8th

Feria de Abril 2012
April 24th – 29th

Semana Santa Practice


Bet you don’t see this where you live! And as many times as I’ve seen it, including the guys above a couple of nights ago, I am always stopped in my tracks and, well, a little bit in awe. They are costaleros practicing for Semana Santa, when they will carry the statues of Jesus and the Virgin Mary on the backs of their necks throughout the processions. Here they are practicing with weights instead of statues while they perfect their moves because, as you can imagine, it’s quite difficult to manouevre these things, and taking corners is especially tricky. During the processions you never see the costaleros (other than those taking breaks and having beers at nearby bars) and I find it fascinating to see them at work like this.

Semana Santa 2012
1 – 8 April