More Spain
As promised, a little more on Spain. We went over Easter, and religious festivals in Spain are huge. Normally the motorway west from Madrid is quiet, but this time everyone was going to their home town for the celebrations.
So on Good Friday at 9 pm we went into Trujillo to watch a long religious procession. The guys in the KKK-style hats are penitents - in the past people who had taken part in some ghastly sin might be embarrassed to confess, so they covered their faces, leaving only their eyes exposed.
The procession was long and included lots of iconography. There were at least 7 heaby-looking, bed-sized scenes from the Easter story featuring Jesus and Mary. I am afraid this is a bit out of focus, but it gives a hint of what they paraded around the town.
They then went to the church in the main square and after midnight had a silent procession the Silencio. We retired for bed and missed that bit.
The following day the town was as before, though busier, and the storks were still on their nests, un disturbed by the night before.
This sort of activity was not restricted to the main town. In our hamlet the sound of singing on Easter Sunday alerted me to a procession of ladies, carrying a Madonna in black. She is a little difficult to see in the photo below, a black shape just to the left of centre. The ladies had put her down while they paused for a moment.
They processed to the bottom of the village where they stopped and met the men carrying Jesus, risen from the dead. At this point two men set off a volley of shots from their guns - I missed that bit in bible study!. Then Mary was dressed in white and off they went back to the church.
Where the storks continued, undisturbed.
The following day we were advised not to go to a National Park in the area because the processions go off through the countryside, making driving slow.
So we went to another nature reserve, and saw.....storks on a rock - there is a bit of a theme here.
And an odd bit of art, with no storks on it. One for Andy!
So on Good Friday at 9 pm we went into Trujillo to watch a long religious procession. The guys in the KKK-style hats are penitents - in the past people who had taken part in some ghastly sin might be embarrassed to confess, so they covered their faces, leaving only their eyes exposed.
The procession was long and included lots of iconography. There were at least 7 heaby-looking, bed-sized scenes from the Easter story featuring Jesus and Mary. I am afraid this is a bit out of focus, but it gives a hint of what they paraded around the town.
They then went to the church in the main square and after midnight had a silent procession the Silencio. We retired for bed and missed that bit.
The following day the town was as before, though busier, and the storks were still on their nests, un disturbed by the night before.
This sort of activity was not restricted to the main town. In our hamlet the sound of singing on Easter Sunday alerted me to a procession of ladies, carrying a Madonna in black. She is a little difficult to see in the photo below, a black shape just to the left of centre. The ladies had put her down while they paused for a moment.
They processed to the bottom of the village where they stopped and met the men carrying Jesus, risen from the dead. At this point two men set off a volley of shots from their guns - I missed that bit in bible study!. Then Mary was dressed in white and off they went back to the church.
Where the storks continued, undisturbed.
The following day we were advised not to go to a National Park in the area because the processions go off through the countryside, making driving slow.
So we went to another nature reserve, and saw.....storks on a rock - there is a bit of a theme here.
And an odd bit of art, with no storks on it. One for Andy!