sevilla day 3

Palm Sunday is the official start to Semana Santa.  In the guide that I got for all of the Holy Week processions, there were actually some processions that went out on Friday and Saturday leading up to Palm Sunday, but Domingo de Ramos or Palm Sunday is the technical beginning.  I planned to go to mass at the Cathedral, and I looked it up and saw that it started at 11:30.  Something was off, because I got there around 11:20 and it was just about to end and the next one didn’t start until 1:15.  I at least got an olive tree branch (instead of a palm branch to wave) from the Cathedral!

Everyone was decked out in their Palm Sunday outfits.  I tried to take pictures of things people were wearing without being a total creep.  Little kids match with their siblings and cousins.  Boys of all ages wear sport coats, dress pants, and ties.  Women wear fancy “Easter” dresses and heels, regardless of the weather.  I didn’t feel underdressed in jeans, but I did love to see what everyone else was wearing!  There was a 100% chance of rain for about 4-5 hours in the middle of the day, but amazingly it never rained and was a perfectly clear, sunny, gorgeous day. 

  

I planned to meet up with Marta, the lady I lived with when I was studying abroad, on Sunday.  She had planned to spend Semana Santa in Cádiz, where her parents live, but she made a trip back to see me.  Juanjo was carrying a cross in the “Amor” Palm Sunday procession, so they did have another excuse for making the trip back to the city :) I met up with Marta at her apartment in Los Remedios.  I was actually a little nervous to see her, just because I remembered how hard it was to understand her and actually hold a conversation, so I wondered what our time would be like.  I was amazed with how much easier it was for me to talk with her- and she told me that I was speaking perfect Spanish (not sure about that, but definitely better!)!  The house was just like I’d remembered it.  We went out for a little tapa and came back to have tortilla for lunch- she actually remembered that it was one of my favorites- and spent a few hours at home.  Juanjo came home with a few friends- one being his cousin, Juanjo Grande- and he seemed so grown up!  He’s studying agricultural engineering and is a freshman in college.  Also, he just got his driver’s license because he is 18.  Marta was really helpful with figuring out a plan for me to see the Palm Sunday processions too!  I truly enjoyed spending time with them, Marta especially, and being back at my old “home.”   

I left their house around 5 because I decided the day before, pretty impulsively, to go to a Flamenco show.  Flamenco is a traditional Spanish dance and it tells a story in combination with guitar and singing.  Sevilla is actually better known for their own dance/type of Flamenco called Sevillanas.  I’d never been to a Flamenco show before, but I’d see a lot of street performers and people in restaurants and bars who danced Flamenco or Sevillanas.  But I decided to just go for it and see a real show.  The cultural dynamic in the theater was pretty interesting- me, 2 Spanish ladies, and probably 40 Chinese senior citizens with a tour group.  Selfie sticks were essentially part of the entertainment, and they were so energetic and definitely loved to cheer “Olé!”  I probably wouldn’t pay 40 euros to go to a Flamenco show again, but it was good to see an actual performance. 

After the Flamenco show ended at 9:00 pm, things were just getting started for Palm Sunday and the start of Semana Santa.  I’ll be posting about my experience with Holy Week soon!