Huelva, (EFE).- Holy Week reaches its halfway point this Holy Wednesday, which in the capitals of Andalusia will once again bring dozens of steps to the streets, in many cases loaded with a unique essence that make them highly anticipated by devotees and by who admire the rich imaginary heritage they have.
A total of nine brotherhoods walk the streets of Seville in a day that for this 2023 has undergone significant changes in schedules in order to guarantee the best flow of them. Among them, some like the señera y popular de San Bernardo, which takes to the streets more than 2,200 Nazarenes; that of La Sed, which from the Nervión neighborhood completes the longest penance station; Los Panaderos, with its imposing mystery walk; or the sobriety of the Christ of Burgos.
The roster for this Holy Wednesday is completed by: El Carmen, el Buen Fin, la Lanzada, el Baratillo and las Siete Palabras.
In Malaga, the great protagonist is Jesús El Rico, who celebrates one more year with the tradition of releasing a prisoner since the pragmatic dictated in 1759 by King Carlos III, today it will be Antonio Daniel Mira, who was serving a sentence for drug trafficking.
The tradition arose after the plague that forced the suspension of the processions, but the inmates of the Malaga prison rioted, escaped, carried El Rico on their shoulders through the streets and then returned to their cells, which coincided with the disappearance of the disease, which was interpreted as a miracle.
The Christ of the Gypsies of Granada
That of the Expiration, which has had the Civil Guard as its honorary older brother since 1938, also stands out on a day in which the Mediadora, Salesianos, Fusionadas, the Dove and the Blood will procession.
In Granada, this day has a special role of the Christ of the Gypsies, who leaves the church of the Sacred Heart and will lock himself up, well into the morning, in the Sacromonte Abbey; Los Estudiantes will also make its penance station, on a day with special prominence of Realejo, the neighborhood from which Las Penas departs, that of Rosario, which this year changes its route to decongest the center; and that of the Nazarene, which will be the last to put its guiding cross on the street.
In the capital of Huelva, Holy Wednesday is marked by the procession of La Victoria and La Esperanza, two of the most populous brotherhoods that treasure having two of the most revered Marian images in the city; next to them will be the penance station of the Arrest, with its imposing mystery, and the Holy Cross, an example of austerity and elegance.
Four brotherhoods parade in Almería, where Holy Wednesday is the highlight of their Holy Week: El Calvario, La Macarena, El Prendimiento and Estudiantes. These last two are the oldest in the capital of Almería and the one that packs the punch and stars the day.
The Arrest of Almería
The three steps of the Prendimiento stand out for their luxury and style, which does not detract from the best schools in Seville. And Estudiantes, founded in 1944, gives a good example of why it is and has been the origin and mirror of many other brotherhoods.
There are also four in Cádiz that will allow you to see on the street the mysteries that give a good account of the patrimonial wealth of this Holy Week such as that of the Sentence, Cigarreras and Las Aguas; and the austerity of the brotherhood of El Caminito, with the Virgen de las Angustias as the protagonist.
In Jaén, El Cautivo, opens the processional parades on a day in which one of the most anticipated processions each year, that of El Perdón, also makes a penance station; and the Good Death that will do so from the Cathedral of Jaén and in the company of the Legion.
It is a whole cast of brotherhoods that in their wake generate unique images, new memories and a host of sensory and sentimental sensations that confirm the greatness of a party that does not stop growing. EFE
