Religious Festivals in Andalusia

Festivals and folklore express the shared culture of a community, encompassing its historic and sociocultural traditions and the ways these are expressed publicly.

The exhibition will see various documents—safeguarded in our archives—put on display. These are pictorial testimonies compiling some of the most important religious festivals celebrated in Andalusia throughout the 20th century, such as pilgrimages, Holy Week, and Corpus Christi.

Pilgrimages

Pilgrimages are among the most commonly celebrated cultural and religious events in Andalusia, with some of them dating back to the Middle Ages.

These pilgrimages are usually undertaken on foot, on horseback, or by wagon to a sanctuary or hermitage where a statue of the Virgin Mary or a saint is venerated. They are held on a particular day of the year and take the form of a procession.

They are religious and social events, some of which have been declared Festivals of Tourist and Cultural Interest as a result of their combination of religious, folkloric, and cultural elements.

The image shown here is a snapshot of the Pilgrimage of the Virgin of La Rábida, the patron saint of Sanlúcar de Guadiana, Huelva. A statue of the Virgin is carried on the shoulders of residents and there are dancers from the town.

The Dance of the Virgin of La Rábida (also known as the dance of the flowers) was designated a Spanish Point of Cultural Interest in 2011.

The pilgrimage of the Virgin of El Rocío

The pilgrimage of El Rocío, commonly known simply as "El Rocío," is one of the best-known pilgrimages in Spain, attracting enormous crowds.

Every year on Whit Monday (the Monday after Pentecost), over a million people gather around the hermitage housing the statue of the Virgin of El Rocío, located in the village of the same name. People travel from all over Spain and from abroad.

Pilgrims arrive on foot, on horseback, or in carriages, traveling large distances to reach the village. In the early hours of Whit Monday, the inhabitants of Almonte carry out a tradition called "saltar la reja." They "jump the gate" of the hermitage and remove the statue of the Virgin of El Rocío (also known as the "Paloma Blanca," or white dove; and the "Reina de las Marismas," or queen of the marshlands). They then begin their procession around the village, stopping off at its various confraternities.

This photograph, taken in 1970, shows the procession of the Virgin of El Rocio around the village.

Semana Santa

During Semana Santa, Christians commemorate the Passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The reformist movement in Andalusia during the late 15th and early 16th centuries led to the emergence of confraternities and religious brotherhoods, which spread throughout Spain. Today, one of the roles performed by members of these organizations is to carry the religious statues during the processions that take place throughout Semana Santa.

The main purpose of the confraternities and religious brotherhoods is to support and comfort their members in difficult times. They have traditionally been responsible for providing support for burials, almshouses, hospitals, and other types of care and relief.

Every year during Semana Santa, Christians across the world hold processions, taking to the streets to express their faith.

This photograph, taken in 1905, shows a float with a canopy and a statue of the Virgin of the Angels, belonging to the Sevillian Los Negritos Confraternity. The confraternity's name refers to the people who founded it in the early modern period, who were mainly African slaves.

Semana Santa in Seville

The main event of Semana Santa is the penance procession, which traditionally took place with just a parish cross, rather than elaborate floats or statues.

In the early 17th century, the confraternities and religious brotherhoods agreed to carry statues on floats during the processions. The processions took place throughout the streets of Seville, with the penance procession heading towards the cathedral.

This was the catalyst for the re-emergence of religious imagery, with renowned sculptors such as Martínez Montañez and Pedro Roldán being commissioned to produce the statues. They sculpted wooden statues of images previously depicted on canvases or banners.

The photograph shows the float of Nuestro Padre Jesús del Gran Poder (Our Father Jesus of the Great Power), a statue that is revered by the people of Seville. He is dressed in a plain tunic made from silver lamé fabric, which may be the so-called "blanca" (white tunic) in which he was dressed for the "Madrugada" (dawn) procession of 1908.

The sculptor responsible for this statue was unknown until 1930, when the historian Sancho Corbacho discovered evidence revealing it to be the work of the sculptor Juan de Mesa in 1620.

This photograph, taken in 1930, shows the float of the Virgin of the Victory belonging to the Cigarreras Confraternity, presided over by Alfonso XIII of Spain.

The king, who held the position of "Hermano Mayor" (the most senior elder in the confraternity) presided over the procession through the streets of Seville on more than one occasion. He granted the confraternity the privilege of carrying the purple banner of Castile in front of the float bearing the Virgin Mary.