Photos: Spain's Seville settles for subdued Easter Week

Spanish cities went without celebrations marking the life, death, resurrection of Christ

Published: April 03, 2021 13:58 AP

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Seville, Spain: Few Roman Catholics in devout southern Spain would have ever imagined an April without the pomp and ceremony of Holy Week processions. With the coronavirus pandemic unremitting, they will miss them for a second year. Image Credit: AP

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The streets of Seville and other Spanish cities again went without Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday celebrations marking the life, death and resurrection of Christ. The infection rate for COVID-19 is still too high for groups to be allowed to gather. Image Credit: AP

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For 50-year-old Roberto Ruiz, the extravagant Semana Santa, or Holy Week, processions mark the cycle of time in Seville. Without them, he feels unsettled. Image Credit: AP

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"You don't fully wake up if Palm Sunday isn't celebrated," he said. "The year neither begins nor ends. This is like being trapped in Groundhog Day. Every day is the same as the rest. The feeling is that of a year which has been lost." Image Credit: AP

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In Spain, the virus has claimed tens of thousands of lives, destroyed hundreds of thousands of jobs, and jolted even the most fervently maintained traditions. Image Credit: AP

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Before the pandemic, Seville would be awash with Easter week crowds gathering to see Catholic brotherhoods hoist 'pasos' adorned with Jesus, the Virgin Mary and other figures of the Passion onto their backs and slowly trudge through the streets. Image Credit: AP

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The burden of the porters carrying the manual floats contrasts with the beauty of the painted wooden statues" their struggle is joined with the other's glory. Image Credit: AP

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This week, Seville residents made do with Mass at the local parish church. They lined up to get inside and had to wear masks and keep a safe distance apart. Image Credit: AP

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The Rev. Francisco Ortiz, a priest in Seville's Nuestra Senora de La Candelaria parish, hopes that faith can ease the physical, emotional and material pain caused by the yearlong virus crisis. Image Credit: AP

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The absence of the thousands of tourists who normally flock to Seville has forced merchants with businesses built around the processions to adapt. Image Credit: AP

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