Seville, (EFE).- Holy Week is one of the most important festivals in Andalusia, not only because of its religious and economic dimension, but also because of the importance in society of a festival that does not distinguish between social classes, origin or ability economic to participate in it and that stands out for its transversality and inclusiveness.
It does not matter the sexual orientation, the political ideology, the urban tribe or even the religious beliefs that the brothers have. Holy Week penetrates the lives of most Andalusians from their childhood in a festival that could be described as a ‘Christmas in spring’ in which families of all kinds gather around the brotherhoods.
The streets of the Andalusian cities are filled with young and old who wear their best suits and dresses on the most important days of Holy Week in Andalusia as a sign of the importance of this festival for the Andalusians.
But, what is the reason for the importance that this festival has in Andalusian society? What is behind that feeling of belonging that a large part of the residents of Andalusia have towards this festival?
Bridge between childhood and adolescence
In Seville, ‘Joey Deadcat’ (Francisco Javier Acosta Ortiz, Utrera, 1988), is a guitarist for the rock group ‘Pinball Wizards’ and is a convinced member of the brotherhood of San Gonzalo who believes that Holy Week is a tradition that It is celebrated in Andalusia “with great force” and is lived “very intensely since childhood”.
“These are very beautiful days, when we go out with our colleagues for the first time, when our emotions and memories intensify,” he pointed out.
And it is that, on many occasions, Holy Week acts as a bridge between childhood and adolescence, with the first departures at dawn without the protection of parents and under the shelter of processional processions.
Klaus Ehrlich is 65 years old, is Secretary General of the European Federation of Rural Tourism (RuralTour) and has lived in Almería for 37 years. For 20 years, he has been one of the bearers of one of the steps of the brotherhood of the Holy Sepulcher and at 65 this German does not consider leaving the sack that every year allows him to carry out a “reset” in his reality.
“It is part of the culture of the place where I live (…) I have been going out as a bearer for 20 years and it is clear to me that this type of cultural manifestation, of tradition, would be lost and would not exist if one did not participate,” he assured EFE.
“Regardless of the religion or belief that one has, it has a spiritual element, an element to reflect oneself again.”
religious significance
From Granada, the content creator Darío Fernández del Moral, 25 years old and better known on social networks as Darío “El Jartible”, shares with his tens of thousands of subscribers and followers on platforms such as YouTube (27,200), TikTok (30,900) or Twitch your passion for Easter.
In his publications and videos of curiosities about brotherhoods and brotherhoods, imagery, costal items, bands or music, he seeks a greater knowledge of the world of the brotherhood through “casual” content for all audiences -many of them humorous- but that attract mostly the younger ones.
“A few years ago, around 2016, I decided to combine my facet as a communicator with my passion for Easter, I put those ingredients together and started on YouTube, while in parallel I have more recently reached other networks such as Tiktok or Twitch”, he explained to EFE Darío, who thanks to the internet has managed to export his cofrade taste to followers inside and outside Andalusia.
Paco Mármol, who is still called “Paquito el punkie” in Cádiz although he has not worn a crest for a long time, has been carrying the Virgen de las Angustias of Ecce Homo for 29 years, in his procession every Holy Tuesday.
“Many people are still surprised to see me as a porter because they remember me as one of the first punks in Cádiz at the beginning of the 80s,” Paco Mármol, an artist as a draftsman and head of exhibitions for the Provincial Council of Cádiz, told EFE.
He assures that the steps of the processions “are full of atheists”, and also of emotions and feelings so great that “they transcend the religious”.
Atheists in the brotherhoods
“When we get under a step, each one carries a backpack, a story. There are more religious people, others less or not at all. Everyone has their motivations: reflect, ask, thank, ”she says.
The Huelva-born cantaor Arcángel, a self-confessed atheist, considers that Holy Week as an artistic expression “has transcended what religious belief is” and defends being able to live it from that point of view: “I am a lover of the traditions of my land and among them the Holy Week occupies a privileged place”.
In his opinion, “the very idiosyncrasy of our town makes us put out our best clothes to celebrate not only religious issues but whatever, and Holy Week does not escape this tradition that we have.”
He thinks it is “wonderful” that these traditions can be lived from any point of view, because “they are there for everyone to enjoy” that is why he loves “seeing how they take the images to the street, the music, even the suggestion to which the smell and the decoration itself take you, it seems to me that it is something beautiful that one does not have to enjoy, the simple fact of not being a believer cannot be a barrier”.
A party that provokes involvement and feelings that are difficult to describe in any corner of society thanks to a transversality that makes it transcend the religiosity that is inherent to the celebration. EFE