Holy Week in Seville 2023: The Great Holy Burial
Holy Week in Seville marks the beginning of the spring festivities in the Andalusian capital. Between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday — in 2023, from 2 to 9 April — locals and tourists alike will enjoy an artistic and ethnographic spectacle unlike any other in the world, one of the best-known expressions of popular religious devotion in Spain.
This year is especially marked on the brotherhood calendar because the Great Holy Burial is being celebrated. 15 floats will process alongside the 3 that already form part of the Holy Burial brotherhood, creating an extraordinary scene through the streets of Seville.
The Great Holy Burial: what is new in 2023
Every year there are new features in this celebration. The brotherhoods include new details on the floats, such as mantles for the Virgins, tunics for the figures on the mystery floats, additions to the floral decoration, to the candles… However, Holy Week brings major changes in 2023: the celebration of a Great Holy Burial.
Holy Saturday is the day when the Brotherhood of the Holy Burial takes to the streets. On occasional occasions, it organises a general procession with invited brotherhoods that represent with their images some scenes from the Passion and Death of Jesus Christ, following the order of the Gospels.
During that day, in addition to the brotherhoods of Holy Saturday processing, another fifteen will also do so, adding an extra outing to their traditional one. The union of these brotherhoods will take place in Plaza de La Campana before their later incorporation into the official route.
The brotherhoods invited to this procession are:
Brotherhood of Montesión: Mystery of the Prayer in the Garden Brotherhood of the Redemption: Jesus of the Redemption in the Kiss of Judas Brotherhood of San Gonzalo: Jesus in His Sovereign Power before Caiaphas Brotherhood of Las Cigarreras: Jesus Tied to the Column Brotherhood of El Valle: Christ of the Crowning with Thorns Brotherhood of La Macarena: Mystery of Jesus of the Sentence Brotherhood of La Paz: Father Jesus of Victory Brotherhood of La Pasión: Jesus of the Passion Brotherhood of La Amargura: Father Jesus of Silence Brotherhood of Esperanza de Triana: Christ of the Three Falls Brotherhood of La Exaltación: Christ of the Exaltation Brotherhood of Montserrat: Christ of the Conversion of the Good Thief Brotherhood of El Cachorro: Most Holy Christ of the Expiration Brotherhood of El Calvario: Most Holy Christ of Calvary Brotherhood of La Quinta Angustia: Sacred Descent
How long has it been since a Great Holy Burial was held?
The last Great Holy Burial was held in 2004, and almost two decades later this general procession is being repeated. This edition will be the eleventh, and the reason for such a special event is the 775th anniversary of the return of Christianity to the city.
Given the great importance of this day, a larger turnout is expected in 2023. Brotherhood members, devotees and tourists will join this unusual Holy Saturday, which will undoubtedly leave never-before-seen images in the brotherhoods.
If this year happens to be the first time you visit Holy Week in Seville, below we have gathered an introductory guide with essential information so that you can appreciate this great religious tradition.
Holy Week processions
In this religious liturgy, the processions are organised through brotherhoods and confraternities. These are famous throughout the world for their impressive staging and their sense of devotion and emotion. Each confraternity has its own identity and style, and each one is unique in its presentation. They process on a specific day, with a set timetable and itinerary. No two brotherhoods follow the same route.
The floats can be mystery floats or canopy floats. Mystery floats represent a scene from the life of Jesus Christ during His Passion Week. In canopy floats, the main image is a title of the Virgin Mary.
The beginning of the procession is recognisable by the Guiding Cross, a large cross that opens the way for the entire procession of penitents. After the penitents come the floats and the brass bands. The length of each procession depends on the number of members taking part in each brotherhood and the number of floats each one has.
Of the total number of confraternities that make the penitential station to the Cathedral, which is 61, some have very long routes lasting more than 12 hours, while others only process for four or five hours. At the same time, some brotherhoods have more than 2,000 penitents, while others have fewer.
Holy Week traditions
Holy Week is subject to many traditions, ranging from the processions themselves to gastronomy or visits to churches. Music is very important during the processional outings. When there is no musical accompaniment of this kind, or only funeral melodies are played, it means that the brotherhood has a more solemn spirit. Other brotherhoods, however, have a more popular character. In any case, seriousness and respect are basic rules at all times.
The most important day of Holy Week in Seville is La Madrugá. It takes place during the early hours of Maundy Thursday into Good Friday. On that night, six brotherhoods, the oldest in the city, process. In total, there are more than 12 hours with floats in the streets, 11,000 penitents and a crowd estimated at hundreds of thousands of people.
Hours earlier, during Maundy Thursday, it is traditional for women to wear black mantillas as a sign of mourning, respect and grief for the death of Jesus Christ. Together with the mantilla, it is customary to wear a simple black dress, fitted, with half sleeves and a length below the knee.
Where to watch Holy Week?
Holy Week follows a different route in Seville for each brotherhood, but all of them pass through an official section in the streets near the Cathedral. The General Council of Brotherhoods and Confraternities of Seville has more than 30,000 seats in the Official Route that can be obtained by subscription.
Outside the official route, there are also dozens of corners from which to contemplate this artistic and visual spectacle. The Sevillian press and specialised brotherhood websites publish every year hand programmes, better known as itineraries, which can be collected in person from hotels, restaurants, bars and tourist offices. Another option is to download them from the internet.
These booklets provide the itinerary for each brotherhood and include advice on the best places to watch the floats.
When night falls is the time that brings together the largest crowds and coincides with the procession along the Official Route. Later, in the early hours of the morning, from midnight onwards, you will have to look for the brotherhoods in their neighbourhoods or near their churches.
You may still have doubts about schedules or areas from which to see the floats; in that case, the best thing is to ask a “capillita”. This is the name given to people who are very fond of Holy Week. They will surely help you move more easily among the processions and learn about the most traditional places from which to watch each brotherhood, or in which streets you can listen to the saetas.
Holy Week in Seville is just around the corner. Therefore, the city will once again become a hive of people enjoying what many consider to be a museum of sacred art in the streets. Will you be one of them? You can find parking in any of our car parks in Seville.
