In Seville, Holy Week processions happen during the most important week of the year. These traditional parades are part of a much larger event that contributes to form the cultural legacy of the city.

The Cathedral and Giralda Tower are closed to visitors in the afternoon during Semana Santa.

Secure your visit booking a guided visit in advance! You’ll access the Cathedral and the Giralda with skip-the-line tickets, and you’ll benefit from a knowledgeable guide.

It’s definitely one of the most important popular events of Spain, and certainly one of the world’s most impressive spectacles. And it’s free!

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What are the Seville Holy Week processions?

In Seville, Holy Week celebrations are based on the passion and death of Jesus Christ. In order to do so, different brotherhoods organize procesiones throughout the city exhibiting pasos. The pasos represent individual scenes of Christ’s Passion as well as images of the Virgin Mary grieving for the suffering and killing of her son.

The processions are also known as an estación de penitencia (station of penance) and they work along a designated route from their home church or chapel to the Seville Cathedral and back. This route must be the shortest possible one.

The last section before arriving to the Cathedral is common to all brotherhoods and is called the Carrera Oficial (Official Path). This course begins at a square popularly known as the Campana (Bell) and then continues along Sierpes street, Plaza San Francisco, and finally Avenida de la Constitución, before reaching the Cathedral.

Once there, the procession marches through one door, receives a blessing from the archbishop, and marches out a door on the other side to return home to its parish.

When do the processions take place?

The Seville Holy Week processions are usually held in the afternoon and evening, with the peak time being from 18:00 to 01:00.

The only exception is the night of La Madrugá, whose action begins around 01:00 and ends around noon the following day.

When is the best time to see the processions?

The experience of watching a procession can vary considerably, depending on the time of day.

Between 16:00 and 21:00. It’s the best time to watch them with children, and to enjoy seeing the images in daylight. It’s also when the crowds are in the street.
Between 21:00 and midnight. As the night goes on, families and children start to leave the streets little by little giving way to teenagers, young adults and Semana Santa true fans.
After midnight. Most processions are now returning to their neighborhoods, and there are less crowds. This is a particularly interesting time, because you can easily see the processions in front row and you can also experience the floats’ entrance in their home church. However, you’ll have to pick 1 or 2, as you can’t be everywhere at the same time!

How is the marching order of a procession?

You cannot imagine how meticulous brotherhoods are when it comes to organizing Seville Holy Week processions. The city becomes as precise as a Swiss clock, everything has an order and a a timing.

Therefore, every procession has the same structure.

It’s generally formed by the following elements/people:

A great cross (called Cruz de Guía or Guiding Cross) is carried at the beginning of each procession to open the way.
Then come the nazarenos who are members of the brotherhood dressing in a robe, a capirote to hide his or her identity, and sometimes a cape. Colors of robes and capirotes depend on the brotherhoods.
The diputados de tramo move between the lines to keep the formations organized.
A group of altar boys, dressed like priests and carrying either chandeliers or incense, and other servants.
The paso.
A musical band follows or precedes the paso. However, some brotherhoods go in procession in silence.
A number of penitents, carrying wooden crosses to make public penance. They wear the habit and the hood of the brotherhood, although their hood is not pointed.

So depending on the elements you have in front of you, you can roughly determine how far the pasos are from your current position.

Are all the Seville Holy Week processions identical?

The structure described above repeats itself depending of the number of pasos, which can be two or three. Note that the last paso is not followed by penitents. Finally, the procession should be closed (ie. presided) by the titular chaplain in full processional vestments known as the preste.

Although this is the standard structure, depending on the traditions of each brotherhood and other circumstances, details may vary.

There are brotherhoods that make very long routes and with thousands of nazarenos and others that don’t leave the old city center and manage much less people. There are also more popular processions with a more relaxed atmosphere and other very serious ones in which silence and recollection is predominant.

So a procession can be made up from a few hundred to near 3,000 nazarenos and last anywhere from 4 to 14 hours! And the route’s length depends on how far the home church is from the Cathedral. Therefore, the largest processions can take 1h30+ to cross one particular spot!

What are the pasos in the Seville Holy Week processions?

A paso resembles a huge, ornate table about 2 m (7 ft) high, with a velvet hem hiding both its legs and the costaleros from view. The pasos are made of wood, usually covered in precious metals, and are intricately worked and decorated.

This combination of Baroque style and decorations made with lots of flowers (sometimes the same, sometimes different species) and candles are spectacular. On top of it, the candles are only lit by night, transforming the paso into an illuminated scene absolutely impressive.

I would say that one of my favorite things of Semana Santa in Seville is looking at these animated masterpieces and admire their details.

As I said before, there are two kinds of pasos: El Cristo (Christ) and La Virgen (The Virgin).

The pasos dedicated to El Cristo, which depict scenes from the Passion, are usually floats covered in gold. You will notice different kinds and sizes depending on the number of figures on top of it (up to 13 in the case of La Cena, the last supper!).

Some brotherhoods have chosen to represent scenes before Christ’s death. These pasos are called misterios (misteries). And they represent for example the entrance of Jesus to Jerusalem, the trial, the cross given to Jesus, the Judas’ kiss, Jesus carrying the cross himself, and many more). Others have preferred a paso with Christ on the cross (called a crucificado).

The pasos dedicated to La Virgen are usually covered in silver, and they represent a very dramatic image of the Virgin Mary, generally in tears. This image is called a dolorosa (literally, in pain). In most of the pasos the Virgin Mary is alone although she can be accompanied by an apostle or holding her Son in her arms.

All the dolorosas are covered by an ornate canopy or baldachin (palio) attached to the structure. The palio is supported by six poles (varales) on each side.

The costaleros play an essential role

The costaleros are the most important members of the Seville Holy Week processions, and without them Semana Santa would never take place.

They voluntarily carry the paso supporting the beams upon their shoulders and necks. And they also lift, move and lower it. The costaleros consider a once in a lifetime honor carrying the paso as it’s a sign of devotion and penance.

This is usually a task performed by men as the pasos often weigh over 2,000 kg (4,400 lbs) and it takes many months of practice before the big day. Just think how much practice that would take to walk smoothly together as one unit, to lift and turn those giant pasos through the narrow cobblestone streets of Seville.

On average there are 40 costaleros per paso with each one supporting a weight of around 50 kg (110 lbs) for approximately 8 hours in total (not in a row!). So depending upon the size of float, there can be anywhere from 28-60 men carrying it. Because of the length of time of each procession, the costaleros switch out every hour to give each other a break.

Because the costaleros are totally hidden and packed, the capataz (overseer), located on the outside, guides the team by voice, and/or through a ceremonial hammer – el llamador (caller) attached to the paso.

As a result, the costaleros try to move the paso according to the rhythm of the music, giving the observer the impression that the figures are literally walking. Each brotherhood has a distinctive way to raise and move a paso, depending on its traditions, style and philosophy.

Who are the nazarenos in the Seville Holy Week processions?

The nazarenos are probably the most famous characters of Semana Santa in Seville. They precede the pasos and generally march in silence, sometimes barefoot. They are dressed in a habit, wear a cape and hide their face behind a pointed hood (capirote).

Colors, forms and details of the habit are distinctive for each brotherhood, and sometimes for different locations within the procession. For instance, the nazarenos accompanying the mister can wear a capirote of a different color than the one of the nazarenos accompanying the Virgin Mary.

Apart from that, they hold either long wax candles (cirios), a pole (vara), a standard or a lantern. Usually the nazarenos march in pairs, and are grouped behind an insignia.

Unfortunately, Ku Klux Klan members clothing bear an unfortunate similarity to those used by the nazarenos. But they have absolutely nothing in common – nazarenos exist since the 16th century!

So don’t shout, as I heard a couple of tourists once, that nazarenos are scary and freaky because they’ve copied their habits from the KKK! Even though you are in Spain, more people than you imagine understand English.

Respect the local traditions and enjoy this beautiful event.

How to experience Easter in Seville as locals do

You’ll surely find tons of blog posts and articles on Semana Santa, especially in Seville. Unfortunately, all of them avoid an essential piece of advice – a guide on how best to watch the processions.

And that’s what I’m here for. Because when I moved to Seville nobody told how to do it. So I had to learn the hard way…

Based on my own experience, here’s what I recommend you to do.

Oh, and I suggest you to check my 9 insider tips to experience Semana Santa like a Sevillano as well.

Step #1: Get a print out of the processional schedule

Upon arrival, make sure to get a Semana Santa guide. This schedule coordinates the street names and times for each procession on each day, so you’ll have a good idea if there’s a processional nearby and at what time. The guide also identifies the dress of the different nazarenos, telling you which brotherhoods they belong to.

Where can you can get one of this?

Get a print out from my updated Semana Santa schedule.
Pick up a paper guide of the processional schedule from the tourist office.
Check the reception at your accommodation, which may also offer a specific Semana Santa guide.
All local newspapers publish a guide for the coming week the weekend before Easter. During the whole week, they publish the updated schedule of the corresponding day.

Even though these guides are in Spanish, they are usually in two different forms:

The form of easy-to-decipher timetables with a time of the day and the name of the street, so they are pretty straightforward. They include the route and at what exact time the procession is expected to leave its church, pass each point, arrive at its destination, and return to its church again.
Full guides to the colors of each hermandad, so you can identify them more easily, as well as a short history and even information about the pasos.

Step #2: Get ready before you leave your accommodation

Here are some basic things that you should do before heading out:

Plan before hand what processions you want to watch and where. It will help you organize your itinerary and navigate the streets. However, keep in mind that you need to be flexible as processions are not always punctual.
Don’t be fooled by the Sevillano spring, the nights are cold and humid so bring some warm clothing with you.
Don’t forget to go out with your smartphone battery fully charged (and bring an extra power bank if necessary). You’ll soon realize that your smartphone is essential while hitting the street so you certainly don’t want its battery to die.
Go to the toilet right before you leave, and try to avoid drinking (even if it’s water) afterwards. Finding a toilet will be almost impossible.
The bars and restaurants in the most frequented areas put the counters at the door of the establishment and reduce their offer to fried food, sandwiches, beer, soft drinks and water, prioritizing the speed of service to the detriment of quality in many cases. So it’s best if you bring your own sandwich or snack with you – it will be cheaper and you won’t eat junk.

Step #3: Never wait for a procession to get to where you are

Don’t go to the starting point or ending point for any procession. You’ll either sit there waiting for hours to see nothing or you’ll show up just in time and see nothing.

You can, however, go to the ending point, especially if it’s (very) late at night say 2:00 or 3:00 as you’ll experience something very special. The entrance of a paso in its home church is something sublime. But you have to be awake at that time…

The whole skill to watching the processionals is going at an off-time to a “not quite so popular” street. Don’t wait for the procession to arrive to the spot where you are, “search” for it instead. So navigate the streets until you find a decent spot and wait there.

Remember that, on average, a procession goes on for 12-14 hours! There is definitely an opportunity to see it with a front row view if you just wait for a more opportune time.

Step #4: Learn how to cross a procession

As I just said, during Semana Santa in Seville a procession lasts a lot if time.

If you’re trying to cross a street blocked by a procession, you might easily have to wait an hour or more before the paso, the band and all the nazarenos have passed. In similar fashion it can be very time consuming trying to get round the procession.

So when should you cross a procession respectfully?

Wait for the procession to stop. They do so frequently, for several minutes at a time so the costaleros can take a short break. This is the moment you’re looking for and follow the locals’ example.

Needless to say, avoid getting in the way of the paso, and don’t walk down in the midst of the procession to move along the length of street.

When the procession is about to start moving again, you’ll hear or see someone hitting the pavement hard three times with his ornamental staff. So get out of the way of the procession.

How to watch La Madrugá like a Sevillano

The main night of processions is La Madrugá in which the processions start at midnight on Thursday night and go all the way until mid-day Friday.

Don’t be fooled by the weird timing of the processions – the old city center will be packed as it’s the most important time of the whole Semana Santa in Seville.

So be extremely patient as you’ll have to navigate the streets with thousands of people around. And make sure you have some warm clothing with you – you won’t regret it.

You can be part of one of these 2 groups of people:

Those that stay up all night and then head back in around 8:00-9:00 to get some sleep.
Those (probably families) that head out around 8:00-9:00 to watch for the rest of the day.

So I suggest going to watch the processions in between, say from 5:30 or 6:00 to 10:00 or 11:00, and then get some rest before heading out in the late afternoon or, even better, at night.

To plan your experience in advance

This article is part of a complete tutorial on Semana Santa in Seville where you can read all the information you need to organize your experience during this magical and unique week.

Here is a complete summary of all the guide:

1. Semana Santa dates in Seville
2. Seville Holy Week processions: a local’s guide to Semana Santa
3. Daily schedule of each procession in Seville
4. Best spots to see the Seville Easter parades each day
5. Easter in Seville: 9 insider tips to experience Semana Santa
6. When to visit the home churches during Easter
7. 8 tips for celebrating Holy Week in Seville with children
8. What are the Semana Santa brotherhoods (hermandades)

Seville Holy Week processions: a local’s guide to Semana Santa