Holy Week in Málaga

Holy Week in Málaga (in Spanish Semana Santa en Málaga), is the annual commemoration of the Passion of Jesus in Málaga, Spain. It takes place during the last week of Lent, the week immediately before Easter. It is one of the city's main cultural and religious events.
During Holy Week, 42 brotherhoods (cofradía) make 45 processions through the streets of Málaga showing realistic wooden sculptures that depict scenes from the Passion, or images of the Virgin Mary showing sorrow.
Holy Week in Málaga was declared in 1965 to be a Fiesta of International Tourist Interest of Spain.
In common with other Holy Week events in Spain, some participants in the procession use a nazareno or penitential robe. This garment consists of a tunic, a capirote (hood with conical tip) used to conceal the face of the wearer, and sometimes a cloak. The fabrics normally used in these garments are velvet, damask, satin or twill. The nazarenos of some brotherhoods also include gloves, scapulars, stoles and a tunic fastened with a cincture made of esparto. The exact colors and forms of the robes depend on the particular brotherhood; in the Málaga procession, their colors are different in the sections of Christ and the Virgin. Usually, the nazarenos carry candles and go in front of the thrones at the leading segments.
The majority of the brotherhoods carry a significant number of insignia in the procession that are carried by nazarenos:
Some processions are accompanied by women who wear mantillas. It is formed by a black dress, a sign of mourning and pains, is accompanied by a mantilla, lace or silk veil or shawl worn over the head and back. The peineta, similar in appearance to a large comb, is used to hold up the mantilla.
Before the throne are placed a group of six or eight acolytes dressed in vestments, many of them wearing dalmatics; the ceroferarios who carries the ciriales or processional candlestick; and the thurifers who carries the thurible where incense is burned and it is dispersed.
The thrones, in others places called pasos, are enormous platforms where are located the sculptures that depict different scenes from the gospels related to the Passion of Christ or the Sorrows of Virgin Mary. Each brotherhood usually exhibit two thrones, the first one would be a sculpted scene of the Passion, or image of Christ; and the second an image of the Virgin Mary, known as a dolorosa.
The structure of the thrones, known as cajillo, is richly carved in wood, silver, bronze or nickel silver and some gilt with gold leaf. In each of the corners of the cajillo is placed the arbotantes (candelabra) or lantern to illuminate the image or sculptural group that is located in the upper part of the cajillo.
The thrones of Christ are adorned at the top with carpet of flowers such as carnations or iris, or a mountain of corks, while most of the Virgin's thrones are covered by an ornate canopy secured to the cajillo by 12 or 16 palio bars. From the front, back and sides of the canopy hang the bambalinas, velvet or mesh draperies embroidered in gold, plate and silk. In front of the image of the Virgin is placed the candelería, a set of candlesticks which are placed in a stepped layout.
Thrones are carried on the shoulders of men and women, called men of thrones or bearers, through long bars or beams called varales, which usually measure between 8 and 14 meters long. Each throne has 6 or 8 varales depending on the size of the throne. Depending on weight, some can weigh up to 5 tonnes, a throne requires between 120 and 270 portadores (bearers) to move. Each person can carry between 20 and 40 kilograms of weight, during the time of the procession, from 6 to 14 hours.
At the front of the throne's varales there is a big bell. This is rung with a hammer by the Throne Butler (the chief of the Throne Men) to guide and stop to rest the bearers.
The sculptures are located at the top of the throne and are the central axis of each brotherhood, most of the sculptures are carved wood (or recently, polychrome), often life-size or somewhat smaller. Some of these carvings are great works of art with centuries of antiquity, although unfortunately during the burning of churches and convents in the 1931 riots, a great number of these sculptures were destroyed, between them the great majority of works of Pedro de Mena y Medrano. After the Civil War, authors such as Mariano Benlliure y Gil, Francisco Palma Burgos, Antonio Castillo Lastrucci or José-Navas Parejo Pérez began to make new sculptures to replace the destroyed works.
These sculptures are in their respective churches and chapels during the rest of the year where they receive veneration.
The images of Jesus are situated on the first throne, which represents a biblical passage of the Gospels: triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Jesus carrying the cross, Jesus crucified, descent from the Cross, etc. Depending on the scene depicted the carving of Jesus may appear alone or accompanied by other statues related to the biblical passage. Some images of Christ wear tunics, smooth or richly embroidered over much of its surface.
In the second throne is located the Virgin of Sorrow, mostly alone but sometimes accompanied by sculpture St. John the Evangelist. The statue of the Virgin usually is of a mannequin, with only the hands and the head carved. The body and arms are covered with luxurious dresses embroidered with gold and silver thread as well as colored silks. Around the head is placed a veil and usually carry a crown or halo. In the back is placed long capes embroidered in gold and silver thread and taking forms that are generally inspired by vegetable motifs, in Malaga these capes can reach up to 8 meters in length.
Most of the thrones are accompanied by marching bands. Each procession usually has 3 bands, the first band, a drum and bugle band is located behind the lead cross. The second band walks behind the first float, this band is usually of bugles and drums, military band or concert band with woodwind instrument, brass instrument and percussion. Finally, the throne of the virgin is only accompanied by a concert band. Many of these bands are created by the brotherhoods themselves, a few being made up of personnel of the Armed Forces.
These bands play processional marches during processions, most of these marches have been created to accompany the movement of the thrones. It is a tradition that the Marcha Real is played at the departure and entrance of the images in the home churches or chapels of the confraternities and once it is played, everyone pays respect to the anthem (military, police and fire personnel out of formation salute when it is performed).
As throughout the Spanish world, and especially in Andalucía, during the processions saetas are sung to the sculptures. The saeta is a religious song, generally improvised and without accompaniment, which is usually sung from a balcony or on the street. It is a melody of free and full of lyricism. It recalls the style of cante jondo typical of the musical tradition of flamenco.
This is the place from which the great majority of the corporations begin their processional route, because the dimensions of the thrones do not allow them to begin the procession at their associated churches.
It is also where they keep the heritage throughout the year, occupying many positions in their museum during the rest of the year.
In Holy Week, the official route is made up of those streets that share each and every one of the brotherhoods.
During Holy Week, the brotherhoods of Málaga leave their temple or brotherhood' house, to go to the official route that begins in the Alameda Principal and follows the Larios roundabout, Marqués de Larios street, Constitution Square and Granada street. This route has a distance of about 850 meters. After this route, the brotherhoods continue their own journey returning to their brotherhood or temples of origin, or enter the Cathedral to establish their penitence station.
The Association of Holy Brotherhoods of Malaga places on the official route around 16,000 chairs and several grandstands, among which the Constitution Square Grandstand stands out among the rest, as it is where the city mayor and members of the city council are assembled to witness the procession of the images.
At the end of Carretería Street from Málaga, at the confluence with the Santa Isabel Hall, there is a staircase which at Holy Week becomes a natural tribune to witness the processions of Malaga. Some brotherhoods are expected there with great enthusiasm and popular fervor. It is called this because it is free and in contrast to the Official Rostrum, located in Constitution Square where the authorities are sat.
Of the 45 processions participating in Holy Week, 28 pass through this place.
Some brotherhoods make a penitential station inside the Cathedral of Malaga. There are 15 cofradías that enter the Cathedral. The remaining corporations do not station in the Cathedral due essentially to the large size of their thrones, which prevents them from entering the Cathedral thru the main gates.
Prior to Holy Week, especially the Friday of Sorrows and the Saturday of Passion, some brotherhoods make processions. These brotherhoods are usually historical confraternities of neighborhoods very far from the center, as the Brotherhood of the Sorrows from Puerto de la Torre or Brotherhood of the Sorrows from Churriana, or young brotherhoods that still do not belong to the Group of Confraternities, so even they can not go through the official route.
The transfers are small processions in which usually only one throne of reduced dimensions which carry the two sculptures of the brotherhood. They aim to move the statues of their temple to the Brotherhood' House. They usually take place the week before Holy Week, although some brotherhoods carry out during Holy Week.
Some of these transfers are well known and awaited with great expectation, such as that of Jesus Captive who visits the patients of the Civil Hospital or the Christ of the Good Death on the morning of Holy Thursday made by the Legion, they arrive by boat to the port of Málaga, from there they move to the Church of Santo Domingo to transfer the Christ of the Good Death to his throne, which is in the brotherhood' house next to the church.
During the days of Holy Week, 41 brotherhoods, belonging to the Brotherhoods Association, carry out 45 penitential processions through the streets of Malaga, the following list shows these "cofradías" by day and order of passage by the official route.
The first day of Holy Week is also the day where more brotherhoods go in procession, as nine brotherhoods take the streets from different neighborhoods of the city.
On Holy Monday, six brotherhoods go in procession through the streets of Malaga.
Six other brotherhoods participate in the processions this day through the streets of Málaga.
On this day, some of the oldest and most traditional brotherhoods participate in the processions. 7 brotherhoods with 15 thrones in total take to the streets of the city.
Holy Thursday is another day where some of the most popular and historic brotherhoods take part. 8 brotherhoods participate on this day.
The "cofradías" that participate in this day usually are "cofradías" showing the seriousness of the occasion being marked.
The procession of the Most Holy Christ Resurrected and Mary Most Holy Queen of the Heavens is the last procession of Holy Week. This procession is organized by the Group of Confraternities and in it all the brotherhoods attend. The floats depict the meeting of Jesus and his Mother after He had been raised from the dead. Their presence signals the end of Holy Week celebrations in this city.