Semana Santa 2011

The week of Sunday, April 17th to Sunday, April 24th was Semana Santa (Holy Week) here in Spain. Holy Week is a time in which Christians around the world commemorate Jesus' last week on Earth before being crucified on Good Friday and rising from the dead on Easter Sunday. While Semana Santa is a national tradition throughout the country, hands-down "los andaluces" have the most well-known and spectacular Semana Santa celebrations compared to all of Spain's other regions. Three Andalusian cities in particular- Sevilla, Málaga and Granada- are best known for their elaborate and extra special Semana Santa celebrations and traditions.

This year was my second Semana Santa in Granada. Two years ago, as a study abroad student, my Dad visited during the first half of Holy Week and we traveled to Munich, Germany together. However, this year I didn't really feel like traveling anywhere (and to be perfectly honest, I don't exactly have as much money as I did back in September, hehe!). Instead, I chose to spend the entirety of the week relaxing and enjoying the festivities in Granada. As I mentioned before in previous posts, I had Holy Week off from work and that meant that I had a total of ten days of vacation on my hands. What did I do during these ten days? Well, not much :) I really relaxed for the better part of the week, sleeping in everyday and then spending every morning putzing around my apartment, reading and watching movies on my computer. It was wonderful! Almost every afternoon after lunch, I got together with some friends just to meander around Granada, taking photos of the city, eating ice cream, grabbing a coffee or a tapa (or two, or three, or...).

Of course, as we were out and about around Granada we stopped and watched whatever Semana Santa procession we happened to stumble upon, which ended up being many. On Palm Sunday (April 17th) I spent the afternoon with three of my friends, Sofia, Hanna and Bianca. We decided to get some ice cream and walk around the city, taking pictures and enjoying the nice weather. Well, shortly after getting our ice cream at a small ice cream shop in Plaza Trinidad, we began to hear the sounds of drums and a marching band approaching the plaza. One of the Palm Sunday processions was set to pass through Plaza Trinidad in thirty minutes at 6:30pm. We, too, decided to stick around and watch the procession, this particular one called Cautivo (Captive), pass by. As people gathered in the plaza to see the procession, we managed to get a good spot where we could see everything.

As is the case with most Semana Santa processions, the procession began with its banda de música (marching band). Following the marching band came both the penitentes and nazarenos. These men and women dress in tunics and hoods of varying colors (the colors depend on the particular procession). The penitentes are members of the procession that are repenting their sins by carrying one or more crosses over shoulder. Many carry more than one cross at a time, depending on the amount of repenting that they wish to do, and many walk barefoot through the streets for the entirety of the procession, which often lasts more than four hours. The nazarenos are also members of the procession and wear costumes similar to those of the penitentes. However, there is one major distinction between the penitentes and the nazarenos. Nazarenos wear pointed hoods called capirotes while penitentes wear non-pointed hoods called antifaces. Many children also take part in the processions, dressed as priests or followers of Christ, by carrying small candles or baskets of candy. We saw lots of adorable little boys and girls accompanied by adults throughout the entire procession, carrying small crosses and tiny unlit candles. After the penitentes and nazarenos passed by came the highlight of every procession, the paso. The paso is a giant float, often weighing more than a ton, that contains an imagen, or sculpture, of the Virgin Mary or Jesus Christ. The pasos are the main attractions of each and every procession and they are absolutely beautiful, intricately and elaborately decorated with candles and flowers. Most of the pasos depict particular scenes from the bible, especially those relating to Christ's last humanly days on Earth and the grief and agony experienced by Mary. The pasos are carried carefully and slowly by groups of men and women known as costaleros who wear thick thick belts and what appear to be turbans on their heads. The costaleros are hidden below the pasos with the others as they carry the paso. Any given float can have upwards of 36 costaleros beneath the paso due to their sheer size and weight. Usually there are more costaleros than will fit beneath the float because often at certain times during the procession they will change to give the others a rest. While some processions have only one paso, many have two, one being an image of Christ and the other being an image of the Virgin Mary. Every procession is maintained by a cofradia or hermandad. These are best described as types of religious brotherhoods whose members all take part in the planning and the execution of the procession from their respective churches.

Here's a short passage from a website that I came across that describes the processions and how they're organized: "The skill and expertise behind the [processions] rest with the religious fraternities and brotherhoods. They have the responsibility of maintaining the [pasos] as well as coordinating the penitents and musicians. Sometimes up to two thousand members of a brotherhood take part, some carry candles, rods or banners depending on their level of seniority. The most senior is the president who carries a golden rod. [...] The entire scene is alive with color and sound, thanks to the polychromatic variety of tunics, hoods, ensigns and banners. Emotions are stirred by the slow rhythmic beating of the drums and processional marches, the swaying paces of the bearers and the poignant wailing of the "saeta" which is a sacred song, similar to flamenco and sung through the Holy Week processions. Even if you are not religious, it is difficult not to be moved, the atmosphere is so vital and poignant. For some it is a fun filled fiesta time, for others a week of ritual and reflection. Without a doubt, Holy Week in Andalucia is a tradition that is an integral part of the culture and appropriately reflects the spirit of the people."

And now, a few photos from the procession, Cautivo, that Sofia, Hanna, Bianca and I witnessed on Palm Sunday! 

Ready to watch the Palm Sunday processions (with ice cream, of course)!

First comes the banda de música.

Bianca, Hanna and Sofia.

Next come the Penitentes, dressed in tunics and hoods and carrying crosses, candles and flags. The penitentes' hoods are called antifaces and they aren't pointed.

At the same time come the Nazarenos. The pointed hood worn by the nazarenos is called a capirote and it symbolizes repentance and grief.

The first paso of the procession containing the imagen, or sculpture, of Jesús Cautivo.

In this photo, you can see the feet of some of the costaleros, the men and women responsible for carrying the paso. The man in the suit is the capataz, the person directing the costaleros and offering them words of encouragement throughout the procession.

A mujer de mantilla.

The procession's second trono making the first turn into Plaza Trinidad.

The second paso contained the imagen of María Santísima de la Encarnación. The silver and gold poles supporting the palio (canopy) that covers the image of the Virgin Mary are called varales.

A field trip to Granada's Science Park

On Wednesday, April 13th, my 1 ESO students and I spent the day at Granada's Parque de las Ciencias. Our day-long field trip was a sort of "culmination" of all the material that we had been reviewing in their math, natural science, physical education and English classes from the start of January through Easter break. This material that we have been studying has been the planets and our galaxy, the world's ecosystems, elemental components of the Earth, world population trends, measurements, how man imitates nature, world languages, and inside the human body. In addition to helping my coworkers explain and teach this material in our classes over the past few months, I also had my own personal "project" to prepare for our field trip. Together with my boss and English teacher, Lourdes, I spent the better part of two months researching and collecting images and information pertaining to these specific topics to make a "bilingual workbook" for the students to work on during our day in the Science Park. I'm really pleased to say that the workbook came out great! All together  containing sixteen pages of material, photos and activities, both in English and Spanish, my 1 ESO students were eager to complete it and show me their progress as we walked through the park together! I have another field trip tomorrow with another group of students- this time to the town of Antequera to view some ancient dolmens and visit a nearby natural park. Luckily for me, this time I didn't have to prepare anything special for the excursion and can instead relax and spend the day taking pictures and asking questions along with the group!

Here are some photos of my 1 ESO students from our field trip to Granada's Parque de las Ciencias.

At 10:00am, we arrived at the Parque de las Ciencias. Here Ramón, the Natural Science teacher, is handing out the workbooks to the class.

Some of the Parque de las Ciencias.

Sala Biosfera.

Nacho (Ignacio) and David Jose explain the elemental make-up of the planet to the class.

Luis and Alberto, best friends who are rarely apart!

Sergio, Guillermo and Laura present, in English, where English is spoken in the world today.

Rosa, the Math teacher, explains world population patterns to David Jose and David.

Hard at work completing their workbooks; this exhibit explains how man imitates nature in everyday activities and inventions.

On top of the Torre de Observación. (L-R) Me, David, Pablo, Juan Manuel, Fernando, Celeste, Daniel and Nacho.

A handful of students wanted to show Elihan (the student teacher) and me the Mariposario Tropical, which houses many different species of butterflies.

Daniel and Nacho in front of one of the Park's temporary exhibits, Animales de Museo. The exhibit teaches visitors about animals from around the world and the science of taxidermy.

Ángela, Laura, María, Celeste and Daniel.

So, unfortunately I've abandoned my blog lately and I haven't posted any entries in quite some time. The simple truth is that during Easter vacation I didn't do much of anything and was rather lazy! I promise to post another entry at some point later on this week about this year's Holy Week (Semana Santa) here in Granada. I've also taken a few day-trips this month and I'll be sure to post some pictures from those excursions as well! Now I'm off to eat lunch followed by a few hours of tutoring and lesson planning- yup, Easter vacation is over and I'm back into my normal routine! ¡Hasta pronto!

Hiking Los Cahorros

As I mentioned in my last entry, last weekend we had beautiful weather here in Granada. My friends Pauline and Sussu and I decided to spend the better part of Friday in Monachil, a town located just 20 minutes outside of Granada. The town is located in the hills at the foot of the Sierra Nevada with spectacular views of the mountains, olive tree fields and the Río Monachil. After a short bus ride, we were dropped off in the center of town from where we walked about a half an hour to an area known as Los Cahorros. Los Cahorros is home to many trails that make up part of the Sierra Nevada National Park. There are various trails to choose from running through gorges, past waterfalls, over suspension bridges and in beautiful wildflower covered fields all alongside the Río Monachil. When we arrived at the starting point of the park, Sussu, Pauline and I decided to take the route "Los Cahorros Altos". The route is only about five kilometers long (just over three miles) and heads upstream, offering absolutely stunning views of the surrounding landscapes. We had a beautiful day for hiking-temperatures in the low 80s- but the breeze alongside the river made it feel slightly cooler. Everything was green and in bloom and we had a wonderful time just being outside, enjoying some of Granada's most beautiful landscapes. We had a picnic lunch under the shade of a tree in the middle of our hike and when we made it back down to Monachil to wait for our bus back to Granada, we found time for a quick ice cream break. I really can't express just how pretty it was up in the Sierra Nevada; better if I just show you!

Overlooking the hills and olive tree fields of Monachil.

Which path should we take? We all agreed- the longest and most popular- los Cahorros Altos!

Beginning our hike.

Pauline crossing "el puente colgante" (suspension bridge), the longest suspension bridge on the route Los Cahorros Altos.

Sussu and I just before crossing the suspension bridge.

One of the many waterfalls we discovered.

Spring means green everywhere in the lovely Sierra Nevada!

We had to hunch, crawl and crouch like this all day on the paths... in many spots, the rocks jut out and completely block the paths, making "improvising" a way around necessary!

Sussu and Pauline, cooling down in the river.

The water was freezing cold!

Almost through the cave!

Following the river...

The general area where we decided to stop and have our picnic lunch.

If you look closely, you can see the waterfall in the background.

More trails and smaller suspension bridges.

Sussu and I, cooling our water bottles by dipping them in the river for a bit!

Wildflowers lining one of the trails.

As we were making our descent down the mountain, we were greeted by some horses :) Unfortunately, they were more interested in eating the grass than in being pet by us.

As you can see, the whole area of Los Cahorros is breathtaking, especially at this time of year! There are still many other routes left to hike that we didn't get to last Friday; we're already making plans to return to the park with some more friends at various points this spring!

Disfrutando del presente...

It's official! Sunny, warm weather has arrived at last! Last Friday was April 1st and it seems as though with April comes wonderful, warm weather here in Granada. It's been absolutely gorgeous outside lately! Case in point: yesterday's weather. At 7:00pm, it was still 80 degrees and sunny as I went for a run and threw a frisbee around with a friend in one of the parks by my apartment! So, as you can all imagine, it's hard to fathom spending any time at all cooped up indoors when the weather is so nice out. For that reason, last weekend some friends and I spent the majority of our waking hours outdoors, enjoying the start of spring! Last Friday, I traveled one hour south of Granada to the coastal town of Salobreña with three of my Finnish friends, Hanna, Sofia and Johanna. We were met at the beach by two more friends, Silva, another girl from Finland, and Nelson, from Portugal, later on in the afternoon. We enjoyed coffee in a seaside café and lounged on the sand all day long, suntanning and even taking a dip in the sea for a bit (the water's still a bit cold, but it'll warm up soon). We had a long, lazy and wonderful day at the beach- the perfect way to start spring if you ask me!

We made it to the beach!

The wonderful and beautiful Mediterranean Sea :)

The coastal town of Salobreña.

Minulla oli mahtava päivä rannalla! One of the few things I can say in Finnish, it means: "I had an awesome day at the beach!"
(L-R) Hanna, me, Sofia, Silva and Johanna.

The following day, my friend Kristiina had the wonderful idea to round a bunch of us up for a late afternoon picnic in Sacramonte, one of Granada's "gitano neighborhoods" located to the northeast of the Albaicín and to the west of the Alhambra. At 4:00pm we all met up in Plaza Nueva, bags of snacks and drinks in hand, and we walked up the hills to find a place to hold our picnic. It wasn't terribly sunny that day, but it was warm with a slight breeze, and it was a great afternoon for a picnic!

Views of Sacramonte from the meadow in which we had our picnic.

Tall grass and spring flowers!

The whole group minus Johanna who took this picture.

Sunday, I spent the day in Motril, a town along Granada's Costa Tropical with two of my Spanish friends, Macarena and Ana. I met these two girls one night a couple of months ago while I was out for tapas and we've become close friends. We left Granada around 11:00am and headed to the coast where we spent the day walking around the town and the beach. Maca's friend, David, has a bar with his family in Motril and after enjoying a delcious seafood lunch, we headed there for a cup of coffee. I'd never been to Motril before last weekend and I'm hoping to go back with the girls when the weather's even nicer! The following pictures are from Torrenueva, a small town just to the side of Motril, where we met Ana's aunt, uncle and cousins for a walk along the sea.

We walked along this beach in Torrenueva for a bit.

Torrenueva, a small and quiet town on the Mediterranean.

¡Me encantan estas chicas! (L-R) Ana, me and Maca.

I'm happy to say that it looks as though this weekend is going to be just as nice, if not nicer, than last weekend. Meteorologists predict sunny, clear skies and temperatures in the low 80s for the next three days. Amazing! I'm still in the process of making plans, but as of right now I'm spending today hiking in Monachil, a town just outside of Granada with access to the Sierra Nevada, with two friends and tomorrow will probably be another beach day, this time in Almuñecar. Sunday, as usual, will probably be a lazy day for finishing up work and lesson plans, but I'm sure I'll manage to find time for an afternoon stroll and coffee break! The phrase "livin' for the weekend" has never been more appropriate!