The drum beat rises on a packed Seville street as Jose Maria Segura opens his mouth and begins the wail of the “saeta,” a pained, mournful ode to Jesus Christ in death.
His voice carries along a line of “nazarenos,” or penitents, with tall conical hats, monkish robes and facial hoods. The members of the El Cerro brotherhood are shouldering a sculpture of the Virgin Mary out of a church.
Millions of Spaniards take to the road in the days leading up to Easter, traveling to see family or for a holiday break. For many, seeing traditional processions with painted religious icons that can weigh over a ton is a cathartic annual ritual, a time to reflect on past sorrows and current ills.
A procession by the La Sed brotherhood this week passed Seville's San Juan de Dios Hospital. Medical workers stepped outside to receive the tribute, some with tears pricking their eyes. It was the first Easter week since 2019 when masks, or any sign of the COVID-19 pandemic, were virtually absent.
Starting on Palm Sunday, when children gathered with fronds in hand to take part in a procession in Zamora, northwestern Spain, to the blockbuster weekend of processions ahead, people in this increasingly secular country still turn out in droves for Easter.
The daily parades also are a major tourist attraction, with some televised nationally.
The celebrations date back to when Spain was a bastion of Roman Catholicism. Nowadays, the hooded nazarenos in black, white, purple and red come from all walks of life, many with no religious inclination.
Others take their acts of penitence to the streets. A barefoot woman in Tarazona, northern Spain, dragged a chain around her ankles down a chilly street.
In Seville, many penitents wept openly at the sight of the virgin, some clutching photos of absent family members.
What many had prayed for in this country with a strong reliance on agriculture — rain — did not come. Spain's drought is on the minds and lips of many. With reservoirs of drinking water running low, appeals to Christ and the Blessed Virgin are likely to continue.
___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
