No, I haven't joined the Klan, I attended a traditional Easter procession in Madrid. These are held in big cities and small towns every year. In addition to these men and women in pointed hoods, there are women dressed as widows, cavalrymen in Napoleonic uniforms, marching bands, and teams of hefty guys carrying huge floats laden with candles and religious icons.
So what's with the crazy and somewhat disturbing hats? Nobody seems to know for sure, but one Spanish friend explained that they wear masks because they represent the Romans and are embarrassed to be crucifying Jesus. One guy was even carrying a flag that said "SPQR", the Roman motto that stands for Senatus populusque Romanus, meaning "The Senate and People of Rome." Some of the marchers, as added penance, walk barefoot. I was wearing a sweater and coat, not to mention shoes, and I was freezing!
Saturday, 22 March 2008
Easter Procession in Madrid
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2 comments:
Spanish murdering inquisitors, they also were mainly involved in the crusades that killed anything not like them!
the keltic man**
Um. . .quick history lesson. The Spanish actually sent very few soldiers to the Crusades, since they were busy fighting the Moors who had invaded Spain. When they weren't fighting to Moors (and each other) they actually created a multicultural society of Christians, Jews, and Muslims, that was the most tolerant of its time. Look up Alfonso X and "The Three Cultures".
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