Semana Santa in Seville
26 March 2008
A group of Birkdale boys and girls from Y10, 11, 12, and Y13
A group of Birkdale boys and girls from Y10, 11, 12, and Y13 have just returned from spending a successful Holy Week, or Semana Santa in Seville.
Staying with Spanish families, they were very lucky to go at this time as Seville enjoys a particular religious festival during Holy Week which is famous throughout Spain and beyond. Hotel rooms, if you can get one, are officially allowed to be charged at more than twice their going rate!
During the week the students conducted surveys in Spanish on themes such as immigration, the Euro and leisure activities. They were surprised to find out how much the Peseta is missed! The students used Spanish for all transactions and, whilst sheltering from the rain, watched a film entirely in Spanish without subtitles, avoiding the rain but were deluged with the language!
Activities included visiting Córdoba to see the Mezquita and Granada to see the Alhambra. A packed day in Seville covered the Cathedral, the Bullfighting Museum at the Maestranza bullring, a flamenco show and hiring bikes in the MariaLuisa Park and pedaloes on the Guadalquivir River.
All these activities were undertaken against the backdrop of the religious processions of floats depicting the passion of Christ and his sorrowing Mother accompanied by thousands of ‘Penitentes’ and ‘Nazarenos’ in their extraordinary costumes. These processions made a great impact on the students, especially as the costumes have been worn in Seville since medieval times.
