Seville’s traditional Easter procession, La Madrugá, once again gathered thousands of faithful around the images of the Passion of Christ 

Newsroom (16/04/2022 15:30, Gaudium Press) The city of Seville in southern Spain is known for hosting one of the most traditional Holy Week processions: “La Madrugá”.

Because of the pandemic, La Madrugá was cancelled for two years in a row, but last night from Maundy Thursday (March 14) to Good Friday, the procession cars took back the city streets. La Madrugá begins around midnight from Thursday to Good Friday and lasts about 12 hours. 

Thousands of the gathered faithful were able to watch the processional cars leave, from each of the Sevillian confraternity churches, and follow one by one the processions that intersperse moments of silence, musical instruments and saetas.

Brotherhoods founded in the Middle Ages 

The confraternities (or brotherhoods) are formed by groups of lay faithful, who, organized in a hierarchy,Andalusia .

Seville has six brotherhoods responsible for La Madrugá, some of which have their origins in the Middle Ages, such as the Brotherhood of Silence, founded in 1340.

The Sevillian Holy Week Brotherhoods 

The other five brotherhoods in the capital of Andalusia are: the brotherhood of Gran Poder, the brotherhood of la Esperanza Macarena, the brotherhood of Calvario, the brotherhood of la Esperanza de Triana, and the brotherhood of los Gitanos.

The images carried on saints’ scaffolds represent the piety and suffering of Our Lord and Our Lady. Among the most famous is the Virgin of Macarena, known for being carefully adorned. (FM)