Walking Through Holy Week in Seville, Spain To see more photos...

http://bit.ly/1ahYsdt





http://bit.ly/1Hf36X6





http://bit.ly/1Hf35lX





http://bit.ly/1Hf35lZ





http://bit.ly/1Hf36Xf





http://bit.ly/1ahYpOV





http://bit.ly/1ahYsdG

Walking Through Holy Week in Seville, Spain

To see more photos from Holy Week in Seville, explore the hashtags #ssantasevilla15 and #levantá2015

Every year, hundreds of thousands of people fill the streets of Seville, Spain, during “Semana Santa,” or Holy Week, the week leading up to Easter Sunday, for a religious festival that is both somber and joyous.

“The Holy Week for people in Seville is an emotion, a lifestyle,” says Elizabeth Padilla (@lizpv), a Mexican photographer living in Madrid who visited this year’s festivities. “For them it is happiness, absolute happiness. It’s something they’ve been waiting for the whole year. But at the same time, it is withdrawal, devotion — you can see the faith on their faces. It’s also a moment of pride — they don’t care if they are tired, if they have walked for 12 hours, have an ulcer on their bodies or are barefoot.”

Dozens of processions are held around the clock with colorful floats depicting scenes surrounding Jesus’ last days, and members of brotherhoods march dressed in penitential robes with pointed hoods so they can repent in anonymity. That contrasts with the attire of those observing.

“Men attending the festivities are dressed in suits as if they were heading to a wedding,” says Elizabeth. “Women wear black dresses and stilettos so it looks like a party, but at the same time, it’s clear that is a sign of respect towards the Holy Week. My grandmother used to tell me that was the way people dressed in Mexico for the Holy Week, but not anymore. In Seville, however, the tradition still prevails.”

by via Instagram Blog