Holy Thursday in Álora; blue sky with some clouds.

Holy Thursday in Álora; blue skies with some clouds.

 

 

 

We are well into Semana Santa now. It rained on Saturday (Sabado Pasión) so Jesús atado a la Columna stayed in the church. Sunday (Domingo de Ramos) (Palm Sunday) was a lot nicer so La Pollinica (Jesus entering Jerusalem on a donkey) set off from the parroquia closely followed by Santa Maria del Amparo Auxiliara.

                                                     La Pollinica

 

María Santisima del Amparo Auxiliadora

 

Mary was carried by young lads (portaleros or costaleros ) who looked absolutely exhausted when they had finished the long, slow route up and down the steep streets of the town. Well done lads.

'Jesus chained to the pillar' eventually took a chance on the weather and set off late in the afternoon while the going was good. He completed the course although a day late. I must say that I find his posture a little nonchalant  or como si nada .

 

Jesús atado a la Columna

All in all things were going swimmingly although the forecast for the week was poor.

Monday was processionless.

On Tuesday we went to Málaga to see their Martes Santo processions. The tronos there are much bigger and are carried by up to 300 portaleros or costaleros. The nazarenos here tend to wear pointed hats which can give you an uneasy feeling until you get used to them. They say that if you think 'Ku Klux Klan' when you see them, you are a tourist.
The tronos are so big some of the portaleros have to carry them from underneath and are called 'submarinos'. Presumably they are chosen on the basis of being strong, not afraid of the dark or confined spaces and have a balanced diet.

 

 

The processions in Málaga go on all day and well into the early hours on every day of the week. The various cofradias wear robes and capirotes (pointed hats) of their special colour. The air is foggy with incense. The main streets are lined with rows of chairs and   full  tribunas (grandstands) rise up above the crowds.

One of the processions has horses, six in number. They were followed by a council street sweeper with a bucket and shovel.

On the night of Miercoles Santo  (Holy Wednesday) in Álora the only sign of life (or death) was a silent procession through the dark unlit streets. No band, not even drums but only a double file of people with candles accompanied Santo Via-Crucis. Nearly all the bars were shut too. The main square was deserted except for a small crowd of hardened drinkers/smokers outside Las Dos Fuentes bar.

The main events here in Álora will take place today (Thursday) and tomorrow. All will depend on the weather. The forecasts are mixed. It has to be fine this evening for Jesus de las Torres to come down from the castle and  process round the town. It is hard to overstate the anxiety here as the day progresses.
Then tomorrow, the day of the Despedía. We will see.

Thursday 28th. March 2013