A week off from school?! YES PLEASE!!
Semana Santa features the
procession of pasos (floats) in honor of Holy Week leading up to Easter. Some
of the sculptures are of great antiquity and are considered artistic
masterpieces, as well as being culturally and spiritually important to the
local Catholic population. They weigh up to a metric ton and are carried in
precessions all week. The processions are organized by hermandades and
cofradías, religious brotherhoods. During the processions, members precede the
pasos (of which there are up to three in each procession) dressed in
penitential robes, and, with few exceptions, hoods. They may also be
accompanied by brass bands. The
processions work along a designated route from their home churches and chapels
to the Cathedral, usually via a central viewing area and back. The processions
from the suburban barrios may take 14 hours to return to their home churches.
Seeing these
processions is incredibly awe inspiring. But of course, if it rains, the
processions are cancelled. We never have rain here in Huelva. Ever. It took
over two months for me to see my first rain cloud when I moved here. With that
being said, it rained all week for Semana Santa. People plan their lives around
this special week and are brought to tears when they are not able to
participate.
A
few afternoons in Huelva, the rain clouds parted and I was lucky enough to see
processions right from my balcony. They walk late at night and the brass bands
echo through the walls of our piso. Hundreds of candles glimmer around Virgin
Mary as she is carried through the streets. It is a humbling experience and one
I will never forget.
On a lighter note, another reason why I won't forget Semana Santa is that I had no clue that EVERYTHING closes ALL week in honor of Holy Week. I was not willing to eat the back of the cabinet/fridge food and went in search for something good. Low and behold I found Burger King. I had not eaten BK in 6 months and oh man was I happy to have found it. It was incredibly over priced and I had to walk two miles but it was allll worth it. That was the absolute best Whopper of my life. Just typing about this makes my stomach growl.
On a lighter note, another reason why I won't forget Semana Santa is that I had no clue that EVERYTHING closes ALL week in honor of Holy Week. I was not willing to eat the back of the cabinet/fridge food and went in search for something good. Low and behold I found Burger King. I had not eaten BK in 6 months and oh man was I happy to have found it. It was incredibly over priced and I had to walk two miles but it was allll worth it. That was the absolute best Whopper of my life. Just typing about this makes my stomach growl.
During
this week, Sarah’s parents came for a visit. I really enjoyed having their
company and going with them through Seville and Huelva to be a tourist once
again.
On
Friday the 30th of April, we visited the Rio Tino and the Mines of
Huelva.
According to myth, these are the fabled
mines of King Solomon,
and a section of the area is still known as Cerro Salomón today. The nearby
villages of Zalamea la Vieja (now called Nerva) and Zalamea la Real
are also named after the biblical king. It was tales of the Iberian Peninsula's
mineral wealth that drew Phoenician merchants to its shores, laying the
foundations for a succession of Greek, Carthaginian and Roman invasions. It is
reputed to be the oldest mines in the world. Today, the mines are closed but
people visit to see the red colored water and the lunar like landscape.
We arrived after a long drive in the
rental car through winding roads and getting lost once or twice… or three
times. We boarded the tiniest train. There were benches meant to hold one and a
half people. No joke. So Sarah and I squeezed onto one and sat across from a
man and his young daughter.
The tour guide began to speak in fast
paced Spanish over a muffled intercom. We knew we were in for a treat. Sarah’s
parents leaned forward and asked what he was saying. I replied with a smart-ass
comment of, “Sombrero, Taco Bell… I have no clue.” The man across from Sarah
and me asked us, in English, if he wanted us to translate. This was quite
embarrassing because we had no clue that he could understand us. Apparently he
was Portuguese and spoke perfect English and Spanish. He was a nice guy and even gave us tips on
what to do when we visited Albuferia the next day.
The landscape was beautiful and very
interesting. Surrounded by lush greenery, the open mines expose layers of
colors and minerals after years of work. Huge craters are created making huge
trucks look like toddler’s toys. And the river itself is so bright red. It
jumps out at you as it runs against the neutral colored rocks.
It was an experience like nothing I
have before and it really gave me a history lesson on where I live and how my
city used to be one of the most important in its hey-day.
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