Holy Week

It is the biggest Holy Week in Spain.

61 brotherhoods process from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday.

More than 50,000 Nazarenes participate

The population of Seville doubles during these days.

The Brotherhood of Peace as it passes through Maria Luisa Park.

How to get around

The city centre is practically closed to traffic throughout Holy Week.

You can reach it by taking the Tussam city bus lines to Ponce de León, Plaza de Armas, or Prado de San Sebastián. Alternatively, you can take the metro to Puerta de Jerez, although you won't be able to rejoin the metro there on your return trip. Therefore, you'll have to walk to another nearby station or use another mode of transport.

Esperanza de Triana in her temple.

Essentials: General recommendations

Plan ahead which brotherhoods you want to see, as seeing them all can be a difficult task.

Narrow streets and corners are the preferred places for brotherhoods to show off their floats to the sound of a march, but they are also the places with the highest concentration of people.

Do not attempt to cross the official procession route or any religious brotherhood's procession. Besides being considered disrespectful, you won't make it. It will be better and faster to take a detour through the nearby streets.

Leave your camera at home and enjoy this sensory spectacle!

It is essential to get a program with the itineraries of the brotherhoods; either in paper or as a mobile app.

Saint Genevieve passing through the Royal Alcázar.

Outfit

Summer or winter clothes? Well, it's often said that in Seville, springtime is summer at midday, spring in the afternoon, and winter at night. So don't be fooled.

You don't need to dress to the nines like we Sevillians usually do. But it's always important to dress respectfully, even if it's hot. Don't forget that it's our biggest religious celebration…

Forget about elegance and enjoy some comfortable shoes. Remember that you'll be walking in crowds and on your feet for many hours.

Procession of Christ of the Three Falls in his temple.

Recommendations before leaving home

Charge your mobile phone battery, it's easy to get lost and it could be useful.

Go to the bathroom before leaving home.

Prepare yourself for the crowds and long waits.

Descent from the Cross.

Flavors of Holy Week

French toast made with milk or wine. They are the stars of Holy Week.

Cod fritters. Strips of fried cod, the most typical dish at this time of year.

Churros. There's no better way to end the Madrugá than with some churros and hot chocolate.

French toast.

The early morning hours in Seville

La Madrugá is the biggest celebration of Seville's Holy Week. More than 500,000 people take to the streets to see Seville's oldest brotherhoods.

12 hours of processions

11,000 Nazarenes

6 Brotherhoods and 12 floats

The first brotherhoods depart at midnight, at 00:00, and return to their church at 14:00 the following day. The best time to view the processions in the city center is from 01:00 to 09:00.

The Waters as they pass through the Giralda.

Basic vocabulary

Arriá

When the float stops on the ground for the bearers to rest.

Cod

It is the banner or emblem of the Brotherhood. Its shape resembles a codfish.

Ship

Large-scale mystery float.

Noise

Crowds of people during Holy Week.

Foreman

Guide the steps and the bearers who are underneath.

Hood

A cardboard cone worn on the head by penitents. It is covered with a robe that conceals their identity.

Official Race

The route taken by all the brotherhoods. It goes from La Campana to the Cathedral.

Chicotá

Distance traveled by the bearers between one pause and the next.

Costaleros

They are the people who carry the float. They take turns according to the route.

It owes its name to the sack, which is the garment used by them to carry the float.

The group of bearers is called a team.

Guiding cross

First insignia of the brotherhood that marks the beginning of the procession.

Get up

The moment when the bearers lift their feet.

Caller

The knocker with which the foreman orders the bearers to get up and the arriá of the step.

Nazarene

Penitents accompanying the brotherhood on its route.

Passed

The platform on which the religious images are carried in procession. It could be from Mystery (scene of the Passion, Christ crucified) or of Pallium (Virgin).

Arrow

Sung prayer in the form of a couplet to an image.

Stretch

Block of Nazarenes between one emblem and another.

Holy Wednesday: the Brotherhood of San Bernardo across the Eduardo Dato Bridge.

If you want to know all the important places of Holy Week in Seville, consult with us., Culturea Experience.