Rosie also witnessed some the Easter practice sessions, where the young men of the brotherhoods (costaleros) practice carrying the pasos around town late at night! Anything from 28 to 35 men shoulder these huge floats that will carry statues of Jesus or Mary throughout the Easter week parades, which last anything from 6 to 8 hours!

Wandering around town one early evening, checking out where to eat, we spotted Rafael going into the Polo bar, this had been closed for some weeks and I was pleased to see it was open again. Rosie and I walked on, agreeing this was a possible contender for that evening. Minutes later, Rafael was chasing us down the road on his quad bike, he stopped us to say he’s running the Polo bar again and we must come and eat. So that solved that dilemma!

On the last day of school before the Easter break the juniors have their own Easter parade. All the processions are rolled into one, so we get Jesus, carrying the cross, on the cross and in his coffin and a couple of different versions of Mary all in the same procession, costaleros, Roman soldiers, incense carriers, a few weeping widows but no penitents! Too innocent, and at anything between about 4 and 10 years of age far too young to have anything to repent, no doubt!





Most of my photos were pretty rubbish, the doting parents kept getting in the way!

I did get to watch some of the adult parades, but this year it’s been far too cold to hang around too long!