Pictures:
1) random nazareno walking down the street
2) fuchsia nazareno barefoot with his cross, just chilling
Sunday, April 12, 2009
End of Semana Santa
Semana Santa is officially over. What a lovely week it was. I went out every day this week and saw some wonderful things. I don't have much to report that's new, I pretty much needed an excuse to post the last pictures I took. Enjoy.
Pictures:
1) random nazareno walking down the street
2) fuchsia nazareno barefoot with his cross, just chilling
Pictures:
1) random nazareno walking down the street
2) fuchsia nazareno barefoot with his cross, just chilling
Friday, April 10, 2009
Second night of Spanish Passover
Our second seder was much smoother than the first. I think we squeezed about 50 people into the tiny synagogue the first night, and last night we only had about 20 people. I saw some familiar faces from the first night, and some new people came. Again, it was a mostly American seder. The first seder was done in Spanish and English, but last night was mostly in English. Since we didn't go through the seder twice (in the two languages) and didn't have to wash 50 hands for the ritual hand washing, we ate much sooner. When we left, I thanked the rabbi for a second wonderful night of Passover and told him that I would be back before the semester ends to go to services.
Today I saw a very interesting procession. The brotherhood was called "La O" and they wore bright fuchsia robes. I used to be intimidated by the KKK hoods, but it's hard to be scared of nazarenos wearing such lovely colors! I'll post pictures when my next blog comes up.
Pictures:
1) with Staci in the synagogue (we did not plan matching outfits)
2) view of the synagogue from the back row
3) the outside of the synagogue, which is pretty much an apartment building
4) nazarenos with pretty capes
5) we finally worked up the nerve to ask for a picture with some nazarenos
6) some of the jews balancing on poles after the seder
7) Sara and Staci with me at the seder table
8) seder table
9) picture of the synagogue from the front, up near the torah
Today I saw a very interesting procession. The brotherhood was called "La O" and they wore bright fuchsia robes. I used to be intimidated by the KKK hoods, but it's hard to be scared of nazarenos wearing such lovely colors! I'll post pictures when my next blog comes up.
Pictures:
1) with Staci in the synagogue (we did not plan matching outfits)
2) view of the synagogue from the back row
3) the outside of the synagogue, which is pretty much an apartment building
4) nazarenos with pretty capes
5) we finally worked up the nerve to ask for a picture with some nazarenos
6) some of the jews balancing on poles after the seder
7) Sara and Staci with me at the seder table
8) seder table
9) picture of the synagogue from the front, up near the torah
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
First night of Spanish Passover
Wow, I am exhausted from today. I met up with Staci in front of the University 2 hours before services started so we could walk to the synagogue together. I'm glad we gave ourselves so much time. There were processions all over the Centro, and it took us almost the entire two hours to walk somewhere that would have normally taken half an hour to get to. We had to navigate around crowds and blocked streets almost the entire way there. We finally made it!
I was surprised to find that almost everybody in the synagogue tonight was American. I think everyone, even the non-Americans, spoke English. There were a few people from Israel, France, Italy, Argentina, and a small handful from Sevilla. Then we had Americans from Florida, New York, California, Maryland, and a couple of other places. It was really wonderful to see Jews from all over the world coming together in one place so far from home. Apparently there are exactly 104 Jews in Sevilla (out of the 1800-2000 people in the city), somewhere between 20 and 25 Jewish families.
The synagogue is pretty tiny. It's on the bottom floor of what seems to be an apartment building. I'll post pictures with my next blog, but it's basically a fairly small room and a large storage closet for food and other things. It's an Orthodox synagogue, so the men and women sat separately. The services started at 8:30pm and lasted until 9:30. The Hebrew sounds very similar to the way it sounds back home, I think the New York accent is more obvious than the Spanish accent. After services, we sat around and talked outside while some people set up the tables for the seder in the synagogue. We started the seder at 10:30pm, and we didn't eat until 12:30am. I know Spanish dinners start late, but this is the latest dinner I've ever eaten.
We had salad and Spanish tortilla, and I thought dinner was over. Then they brought out chicken. Then more chicken. Staci and I got full, and we were starting to get pretty tired. Apparently there was still more food. They had fish, vegetables, and fruit for later, but we were too full to eat and too tired to wait, so we thanked the rabbi and left around 2am. We were definitely not the first ones to leave, we left some time after half the other people had gone home. We were able to take some leftover matzah with us, which I plan on snacking on for the next couple of weeks.
Staci and I parted ways at the University, and I walked the rest of the way home by myself. I considered waiting for the bus, but decided against it, since walking would take me home more quickly. I'm glad I live on a major street, the walk home was brightly lit by streetlights and always accompanied by cars in the road. I didn't feel unsafe at all. I made it back around 2:30am. This might be the latest I've stayed out. Considering Spanish nightlife culture, this is unusual. Some people say that they're getting home early if they're in by 4am. I don't think I could do that...
Pictures:
1) Jesus float at night with candles lit
2) lighting candles on the Virgin Mary float
3) one of the many booths set up specially for Semana Santa, selling candy and cute little toys
4) nazareno-shaped candy!
5-6) blue nazarenos
7-9) black and white nazarenos (KKK?)
10) nazareno marching without shoes
11) Jesus float
12) view of nazarenos from my balcony
13) Virgin Mary float
14) the feet of the people carrying that heavy float
15) incense leading the way for the Mary float
I was surprised to find that almost everybody in the synagogue tonight was American. I think everyone, even the non-Americans, spoke English. There were a few people from Israel, France, Italy, Argentina, and a small handful from Sevilla. Then we had Americans from Florida, New York, California, Maryland, and a couple of other places. It was really wonderful to see Jews from all over the world coming together in one place so far from home. Apparently there are exactly 104 Jews in Sevilla (out of the 1800-2000 people in the city), somewhere between 20 and 25 Jewish families.
The synagogue is pretty tiny. It's on the bottom floor of what seems to be an apartment building. I'll post pictures with my next blog, but it's basically a fairly small room and a large storage closet for food and other things. It's an Orthodox synagogue, so the men and women sat separately. The services started at 8:30pm and lasted until 9:30. The Hebrew sounds very similar to the way it sounds back home, I think the New York accent is more obvious than the Spanish accent. After services, we sat around and talked outside while some people set up the tables for the seder in the synagogue. We started the seder at 10:30pm, and we didn't eat until 12:30am. I know Spanish dinners start late, but this is the latest dinner I've ever eaten.
We had salad and Spanish tortilla, and I thought dinner was over. Then they brought out chicken. Then more chicken. Staci and I got full, and we were starting to get pretty tired. Apparently there was still more food. They had fish, vegetables, and fruit for later, but we were too full to eat and too tired to wait, so we thanked the rabbi and left around 2am. We were definitely not the first ones to leave, we left some time after half the other people had gone home. We were able to take some leftover matzah with us, which I plan on snacking on for the next couple of weeks.
Staci and I parted ways at the University, and I walked the rest of the way home by myself. I considered waiting for the bus, but decided against it, since walking would take me home more quickly. I'm glad I live on a major street, the walk home was brightly lit by streetlights and always accompanied by cars in the road. I didn't feel unsafe at all. I made it back around 2:30am. This might be the latest I've stayed out. Considering Spanish nightlife culture, this is unusual. Some people say that they're getting home early if they're in by 4am. I don't think I could do that...
Pictures:
1) Jesus float at night with candles lit
2) lighting candles on the Virgin Mary float
3) one of the many booths set up specially for Semana Santa, selling candy and cute little toys
4) nazareno-shaped candy!
5-6) blue nazarenos
7-9) black and white nazarenos (KKK?)
10) nazareno marching without shoes
11) Jesus float
12) view of nazarenos from my balcony
13) Virgin Mary float
14) the feet of the people carrying that heavy float
15) incense leading the way for the Mary float
Semana Santa, at long last
Semana Santa has begun, and I can see why Sevilla is famous for it. Where do I begin? On Monday I met up with Staci, one of the Jewish students who's coming to the Passover seders. We walked around the Centro with her roommate and accidentally happened upon one of the processions. The processions are made up of people in Catholic brotherhoods marching all around the city, each on a different route. Every procession enters and exits the big Cathedral, but other than that, their paths are different. This can make navigating difficult, when you're blocked off on multiple sides by different processions.
Many of the processions are led by a marching band. After the band passes, the nazarenos march by. Nazarenos are people in long robes and capirotes (hoods), similar in appearance to those worn by the KKK. Different brotherhoods have hoods in different colors. Many of the nazarenos hand candy out to children as they pass. Some carry long, large candles, which are lit when it gets dark. After the nazarenos comes a big float with some sort of Jesus image. The floats are not on wheels, they're carries by men in the brotherhood. The marching lasts for many hours (one which I saw yesterday marched for 13 1/2 hours), so the men carrying the floats trade off every once in awhile. When the new carriers get a hold of the float and all lift it together, it makes a bit of a bouncing motion as it's lifted, and the crowd cheers. When it's not being lifted, the crowd is often silent as the floats pass by, showing their respect. I hear that some people cry, it's a very emotional experience for them.
After the Jesus float come some nazarenos without the hoods sticking up. They're wearing their hoods, but the hoods just fall limp. I'll see if I can post a good picture. These nazarenos carry big wooden crosses. Then come some more people marching, sometimes another band, and then people carrying incense. Finally comes the float with the Virgin Mary. This float has lots and lots of candles, which are lit at night. It is also carried by men from the brotherhood. It's sort of the grand finale for the procession.
Yesterday one of the processions passes right by my apartment. I could see it from my 7th floor balcony, but of course I ran downstairs to get a closer look (and closer pictures). This procession seemed particularly family-oriented. A lot of family members walked alongside the nazarenos. There were quite a few children marching as nazarenos. It's adorable, seeing a little hooded person marching along, holding hands with a parent. Marching in a procession is a huge honor, and the family members have a lot of pride for their loved ones who participate. They blocked off the entire street to have this procession, and I live on a large and major street. Since the street was so wide, I was always able to move easily and find a good spot to stand close to the procession. I took about 100 pictures of that procession alone, and another 100 that afternoon/evening. Later in the day, I met up with Allison, and we walked into the Centro to see more.
I have never seen the Centro so crowded. Since the streets there are very narrow, it was very difficult to navigate. Our strategy was to follow the people weaving through the crowds in the general direction we wanted to move in. We staked out some spots to watch one procession, and felt very claustrophobic surrounded on all sides by people and pressed very closely into the crowd. I can see why it's so easy for pickpockets to steal during Semana Santa. At one point, some very rude women pushed their way through a very tight crowd very forcefully. Shortly after, a girl nearby started crying and was taken away by police. I hope she wasn't hurt. Allison and I had a little bit of difficulty leaving the crowd, since we were surrounded on all sides, but we finally managed to escape with our toes and wallets unharmed. It was fun and interesting, but I'm not eager to jump into a crowd again. I can see why the native Sevillans go on vacation during Semana Santa. It's fun to see a few times, but the processions are all pretty similar, and the crowds are a little intimidating.
On our way home, we ran into the same procession I saw in the morning making it's way back. It was getting dark, so they started lighting their candles. I haven't seen a procession during the darker parts of night yet, but I'm sure I will after leaving one of the Passover seders. There's one procession called "El Silencio" that marches in silence. The crowd is usually pretty noisy, but people are supposedly very quiet when El Silencio passes by. I hear it's quite eerie. I'd like to see it, but they march from 1am to some unpleasant hour early in the morning, and I'm not sure how much I'd enjoy being out that late. We'll see what time the seder finishes that night.
Tonight I go to my first Passover seder. I'm very excited about it, I'm not quite sure what to expect. I wonder if the Hebrew will sound different in Spain. I'll post a blog describing that experience when it happens.
Pictures:
1) nazarenos with different colored hoods
2) nazarenos carrying crosses
3) Jesus float
4) nazarenos of all ages
5) nazarenos handing out candy to children in the street
6) view of procession from my balcony (zoomed in)
7) kids ask nazarenos for candy by holding out their hands insistently
8) child nazareno giving out candy
9) tired little nazareno in stroller
10) even more nazarenos
11) a different Jesus float
12) nazarenos differ in size
13) little nazareno with candy
14) the littlest nazareno I've seen
15) nazarenos leading the procession
Many of the processions are led by a marching band. After the band passes, the nazarenos march by. Nazarenos are people in long robes and capirotes (hoods), similar in appearance to those worn by the KKK. Different brotherhoods have hoods in different colors. Many of the nazarenos hand candy out to children as they pass. Some carry long, large candles, which are lit when it gets dark. After the nazarenos comes a big float with some sort of Jesus image. The floats are not on wheels, they're carries by men in the brotherhood. The marching lasts for many hours (one which I saw yesterday marched for 13 1/2 hours), so the men carrying the floats trade off every once in awhile. When the new carriers get a hold of the float and all lift it together, it makes a bit of a bouncing motion as it's lifted, and the crowd cheers. When it's not being lifted, the crowd is often silent as the floats pass by, showing their respect. I hear that some people cry, it's a very emotional experience for them.
After the Jesus float come some nazarenos without the hoods sticking up. They're wearing their hoods, but the hoods just fall limp. I'll see if I can post a good picture. These nazarenos carry big wooden crosses. Then come some more people marching, sometimes another band, and then people carrying incense. Finally comes the float with the Virgin Mary. This float has lots and lots of candles, which are lit at night. It is also carried by men from the brotherhood. It's sort of the grand finale for the procession.
Yesterday one of the processions passes right by my apartment. I could see it from my 7th floor balcony, but of course I ran downstairs to get a closer look (and closer pictures). This procession seemed particularly family-oriented. A lot of family members walked alongside the nazarenos. There were quite a few children marching as nazarenos. It's adorable, seeing a little hooded person marching along, holding hands with a parent. Marching in a procession is a huge honor, and the family members have a lot of pride for their loved ones who participate. They blocked off the entire street to have this procession, and I live on a large and major street. Since the street was so wide, I was always able to move easily and find a good spot to stand close to the procession. I took about 100 pictures of that procession alone, and another 100 that afternoon/evening. Later in the day, I met up with Allison, and we walked into the Centro to see more.
I have never seen the Centro so crowded. Since the streets there are very narrow, it was very difficult to navigate. Our strategy was to follow the people weaving through the crowds in the general direction we wanted to move in. We staked out some spots to watch one procession, and felt very claustrophobic surrounded on all sides by people and pressed very closely into the crowd. I can see why it's so easy for pickpockets to steal during Semana Santa. At one point, some very rude women pushed their way through a very tight crowd very forcefully. Shortly after, a girl nearby started crying and was taken away by police. I hope she wasn't hurt. Allison and I had a little bit of difficulty leaving the crowd, since we were surrounded on all sides, but we finally managed to escape with our toes and wallets unharmed. It was fun and interesting, but I'm not eager to jump into a crowd again. I can see why the native Sevillans go on vacation during Semana Santa. It's fun to see a few times, but the processions are all pretty similar, and the crowds are a little intimidating.
On our way home, we ran into the same procession I saw in the morning making it's way back. It was getting dark, so they started lighting their candles. I haven't seen a procession during the darker parts of night yet, but I'm sure I will after leaving one of the Passover seders. There's one procession called "El Silencio" that marches in silence. The crowd is usually pretty noisy, but people are supposedly very quiet when El Silencio passes by. I hear it's quite eerie. I'd like to see it, but they march from 1am to some unpleasant hour early in the morning, and I'm not sure how much I'd enjoy being out that late. We'll see what time the seder finishes that night.
Tonight I go to my first Passover seder. I'm very excited about it, I'm not quite sure what to expect. I wonder if the Hebrew will sound different in Spain. I'll post a blog describing that experience when it happens.
Pictures:
1) nazarenos with different colored hoods
2) nazarenos carrying crosses
3) Jesus float
4) nazarenos of all ages
5) nazarenos handing out candy to children in the street
6) view of procession from my balcony (zoomed in)
7) kids ask nazarenos for candy by holding out their hands insistently
8) child nazareno giving out candy
9) tired little nazareno in stroller
10) even more nazarenos
11) a different Jesus float
12) nazarenos differ in size
13) little nazareno with candy
14) the littlest nazareno I've seen
15) nazarenos leading the procession
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Upcoming Semana Santa, Passover, and french toast
Next week is Semana Santa, the Holy Week. It's a huge deal in Sevilla. We all get classes off the week before Easter and the entire city celebrates all week long. There are processions and crowds, drinking and pickpockets, religious symbols and churches, and much more! (A word to all the Jewish mothers looking out for me, I plan on keeping my wallet and camera very well protected.) The hermandades (religious brotherhoods) march around wearing hoods and robes (similar in appearance to those worn by the KKK) to symbolize their unity and solidarity. I'm very excited and plan to take many, many pictures.
I'm even more excited about Passover! Using contact information given to me some wonderful Jews back home (my grandparents and Marc's parents), I managed to get in touch with the Jewish Community of Sevilla. I discovered that Sevilla has only 20-25 Jewish families, but there is a synagogue with weekly services, and they have a communal seder. I've been emailing back and forth with the rabbi and trying to organize as many Jewish students as I can to come to the seder. He told me I was doing a mitzvah by helping bring the Jewish students to the seder and to keep it up. I feel very honored. It's also nice to finally find some other Jews in the city, since I hadn't actually met any before. Now I have dinner plans with a couple of them! I can't wait to experience a Spanish seder, this should be very interesting.
My first class this morning was canceled because the professor was sick. Since I had another class two hours later, I decided it would be too much of a waste of time to go home. My friend Alex (Alexandra, not host brother Alex) and I walked around the Centro for most of those two hours. We stopped at a cafe, because I decided that it was the perfect opportunity to have some Spanish hot chocolate. Spanish hot chocolate is very thick and very delicious. Alex got a coffee, and we split a torrija. Torrijas are like french toast soaked in syrup, or sometimes wine and honey and other things. We had seen then around in bakeries a lot lately, because they are very common around Semana Santa, but neither of us had ever eaten one. It was incredibly good. I'm glad we split one, because it was so sweet. It was the perfect snack to have between classes. I don't think this will be my last torrija of the semester.
Pictures:
1) Lisa and Iago, looking cute as always
2) Educalia, the school where I volunteer
3) Miriam, the 11-year-old girl who speaks English quite well (she was making a bit of a funny face when Mercedes took the picture)
I'm even more excited about Passover! Using contact information given to me some wonderful Jews back home (my grandparents and Marc's parents), I managed to get in touch with the Jewish Community of Sevilla. I discovered that Sevilla has only 20-25 Jewish families, but there is a synagogue with weekly services, and they have a communal seder. I've been emailing back and forth with the rabbi and trying to organize as many Jewish students as I can to come to the seder. He told me I was doing a mitzvah by helping bring the Jewish students to the seder and to keep it up. I feel very honored. It's also nice to finally find some other Jews in the city, since I hadn't actually met any before. Now I have dinner plans with a couple of them! I can't wait to experience a Spanish seder, this should be very interesting.
My first class this morning was canceled because the professor was sick. Since I had another class two hours later, I decided it would be too much of a waste of time to go home. My friend Alex (Alexandra, not host brother Alex) and I walked around the Centro for most of those two hours. We stopped at a cafe, because I decided that it was the perfect opportunity to have some Spanish hot chocolate. Spanish hot chocolate is very thick and very delicious. Alex got a coffee, and we split a torrija. Torrijas are like french toast soaked in syrup, or sometimes wine and honey and other things. We had seen then around in bakeries a lot lately, because they are very common around Semana Santa, but neither of us had ever eaten one. It was incredibly good. I'm glad we split one, because it was so sweet. It was the perfect snack to have between classes. I don't think this will be my last torrija of the semester.
Pictures:
1) Lisa and Iago, looking cute as always
2) Educalia, the school where I volunteer
3) Miriam, the 11-year-old girl who speaks English quite well (she was making a bit of a funny face when Mercedes took the picture)
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