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To see a Fraternity
may seem an easy task: the procession
takes place all over the city and at any
one point outside the Official Route you
can go and have a look. However, you
should keep a few things in mind.
Firstly, a lot of the
Fraternities parade through narrow
streets in the old quarter. Some of them
deliberately go through the most
picturesque nooks and crannies possible.
The passing of the floats through
incomparable places is essential to the
composition of this work of art, as the
city becomes the setting for the
culmination of the Passion and Death of
Jesus Christ.
A Float, illuminating
with Its candles a small hidden square
in Seville, the spectacular work of the
team of costaleros who parade the floats
through the narrow streets without any
problem, and the encircling sound of a
Fraternity march in a narrow street are
basic elements of the highlights of the
week. Getting to these places requires
certain skill for the inexperienced, it
is not difficult to get lost in the maze
of streets in the old part of Seville,
even the locals do. The best sport, or
at least the best known ones, to see a
Fraternity quickly fill up with crowds (see
crowds).
It is not always a
good idea to stand through a whole
procession. Some of the Fraternities
take two hours or more to go by (from
the Cruz de Guía to the music band that
usually accompanies the floats). An
experience like this could put your back
and your feet out of action for the rest
of the day. Of course, you always have
the alternative of renting a chair
somewhere along the Official Route (see
chairs).
Tips for seeing
the Fraternities.
Before starting your
day at the processions, you should plan
what you want to see and where. You can
them very this according.
Don't bee too
ambitious to see everything. Keep in
mind that this is very difficult and
almost impossible. The motto is: "Quality
before quantity". Think of the time that
you will be either standing or walking
keeping in mind your age and physical
fitness. Make as many tops as necessary
(or more) at the wonderful all-night
sidewalks cafés and bars dotted
throughout the city.
Although a lot of
people do, it is not advisable to follow
the processions of floats by standing in
front of them. This is uncomfortable for
you (you can be stood on , pushed,
elbowed…) and it is unfair not only to
those who are watching the Fraternities
form the sides, but to the actual float
which will find it difficult to get past.
Ask the people from
Seville for information whenever you
want. Most of them will be only
delighted to advice visitors on the most
interesting places and moments of each
day.
In order to see in
detail the artistic treasure of the
floats, banners and the other elements
which form part of the procession, the
wisest thing to do is to visit the
respective temples on the morning of the
day they are going to parade.
Photos:
Francisco Santiago@ |
