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Learn Spanish in Seville during Semana Santa.

Giralda Center-SH, language school in Seville, accredited Instituto Cervantes center.

Special timetable for our Standard Spanish course during Semana Santa.

• Monday: Classes (9h00-14h15) + 2 h Cultural activity (15h30 a 17h30)
• Tuesday: Classes (9h00-14h15 + 2 h Cultural activity (15h30 a 17h30)
• Wednesday: Classes (9h00-14h00)

More information about courses in Seville, dates and prices. >>>

Giralda Center-SH guarantee: we maintain the same prices for accommodations in shared apartments and with families.

A bit of history

Since the middle of the 14th century, a series of historical events caused upheaval in the structure of the feudal system: epidemics, natural disasters, hunger, etc. encouraged the belief that God punished man for his sins, therefore the need to purify oneself through penitence and suffering.

The cult la Pasión de Cristo gained great importance as a model to follow if you wished to reach salvation and many hermandades (brotherhoods) were formed with this aim. According to their social background, cofradías (Catholic brotherhoods) could be made up of clergy, noblemen, members of a guild or by individuals of a racial minority.

The church opposed this type of public demonstrations and suppressed them. The practice of Vía Crucis, popularized in all of Europe during the 15th century, was introduced in Seville in 1521 by Fadrique Enríquez de Ribera upon his return from a trip to the Holy Land.

In 1604 the Church set the bases of the model to be followed, and to have a greater control over the processions insisted that all of Seville’s pass by the Cathedral.

At the end of the 18th and the start of the 19th century serious conflicts arose between the cofradías and civil powers. Historical events such as the French occupation in 1808 and their liberal governments meant an acute crisis for the cofradías.

The result was the disappearance of many from the middle of the 18th century until the first half of the 19th, a period in which even the most consolidated hermandades, such as la Antigua or la Vera Cruz, practically dissolved and ceased to parade in the streets. To these problems were added a steep economic decline, in several occasions quite substantial, due to the plundering and confiscation of assets.

However other facts came to determine the resurgence of cofradías, with special interest in making the processions a focus for touristic interest and in keeping with the creation of the romantic myth surrounding the city. The royal family, actively supported the hermandades and the new bourgeoisie nobility followed their example. This support definitively renewed them after the Restoration (1875-1898).

Basic vocabulary of Semana Santa

We would like you to familiarise yourself with some Spanish vocabulary that will help you to understand this unique Spanish Fiesta. Giralda Center-SH has developed a language activity based on this specific vocabulary in teacher training courses taught by Charo Trigos ( head of Spanish studies at Giralda Center-SH) and Jose Carlos Quintano (coordinator of cultural programmes).

Procesión; parade of people following a religious image along the streets. Hermandad brotherhood comprised of members of a particular church which organizes the yearly processions
Hermanos members of the aformentioned brotherhood, ‘hermandad’
Imagen religious sculpture carried as part of the Semana Santa procession, esither of the Virgin Mary or of a scene from the bible including Jesus
Nazareno a member of the brotherhood, ‘hermandad’, who dresses in a long, flowing robe and special pointed hood which hides his identity, who walks in the procession
Capirote a special pointed hood worn by the ‘Nazarenos’, The meaning of this hood is symbolic of grief and repentance. NO CONNECTION WITH the kkk.
Túnica the special robe worn by the ‘Nazarenos’
Paso a Semana Santa float, either of Christ or the Virgen Mary
Penitente a ‘Nazareno’ who, repenting of his sins, walks in the procession without shoes
Capataz a ‘Nazareno’ who acts to keep order in the procession
Costalero a member of the brotherhood, ‘hermandad’, who helps to carry a ‘paso’
Palio the canopy that covers the Virgin Mary ‘paso’
Cirios the special, long candles (nearly 2 m in length) carried by many of the ‘Nazarenos’ in the procession.
Cruz de guía a special cross carried at the head of a group of ‘Nazarenos’ in a Semana Santa procession
Saeta deep flamenco sung in the streets of Seville during the processions.
Banda de música the marching band that accompanies the procession, setting the mood and pace.

Images of la Semana Santa