They're off! Álora's Easter celebrations begin.

 

They're off! Álora's Easter celebrations begin

 

 

                                     María Santísima de los Dolores Coronada (In the centre is Ana Molina, Hermana Mayor of the Dolores hermandad.)

Yesterday, Friday 15th. of March,  just two weeks before Good Friday (Viernes Santo)the Álora Semana Santa (Holy Week) celebrations were launched. Sorry, kids, Santa will not be appearing.
The annual 'starting pistol' (not my words but those of the Ayuntamiento web page)  is the 'Pregón' (Opening Speech) and takes place in La Parroquia de la Encarnación (Parish Church of the Incarnation) which is in the Plaza Baja de la Despedía and only 25 metres from our front door.

The Semana Santa events are organised by the various hermandads and cofradias (brotherhoods) whose members spend all year raising money for their tronos (thrones), robes, candles and flowers and big dinners.

The tronos carry images of Jesus, The Virgin Mary (whose mother was also a virgin, apparently) , Saint John the Evangelist and a donkey.The hermandads are not exclusively male. Two of them (Dolores Coronada y Soledad and Amor y San Juan are led by a hermana mayor (chief sister) at the moment (they are elected). Each hermandad  produces a cartel (poster) and most of the shops and bars are now plastered with them. Every year the ayuntamiento (town council) produces a poster on behalf of one of the hermandads. This year it is the turn of Dolores.

 

 A  formal dinner is held by the hermandads to launch each poster.   The two most important hermandads are:

María Santísima de los Dolores Coronada y Soledad  (Dolores) and

Nuestro Padre Jesús Nazareno de las Torres y María Santísima de las Ánimas (El Señor, Cristo or  Jesús)

Both of these hermandads have two thrones and images  each.  Dolores's  second one (María Santísima de la Soledad) bears a close facial similarity to Dolores herself. How's it done? I can only guess.




Tonight the first of the processions took place. It was rather chilly by the time Jesús emerged from the church amid clouds of incense. He was followed by María Ánimas, hundreds of people, lots of candles
and a band.

 
                                                     

 

El Señor

 

 

                                                             María Ánimas

The purpose of tonight's procession was to move Jesús and María Ánimas from the parish church, where they have been since last Easter, to the chapel up at the castle which is also called Las Torres (the towers). Jesus will be brought down again on Jueves Santo (Holy Thursday) only to be taken back up again the next day , Viernes Santo (Good Friday) after saying goodbye to Dolores  during the now famous Despedía  ( goodbye) ceremony. María Ánimas will come back down on the night of Viernes Santo.

                                      
                                   Programme of the recorridos (procession routes)

I hope the above has given my (admittedly tiny) body of readers a taste for the exciting events soon to follow. In all there will be 17 processions. The next one will be next Friday at 8.30pm in the Parroquia when Dolores Coronada will be moved from her altar to her processional throne. See you there!

Saturday 16th. March