In Spain, Holy Week is called "Semana Santa."
It's celebrated with unrivaled pageantry and emotion,
most famously in Seville, (or "Sevilla").
Here, Semana Santa is an epic event
that stirs the soul and captivates all who participate.
On Palm Sunday,
families dressed up for this important day
head into their parish church for Mass.
Then, promenading with palm and olive branches,
they make a loop through the neighborhood,
eventually returning to their home church.
Afterwards, they visit other churches throughout the city,
each displaying elaborate floats.
Sevilla has many religious brotherhoods, or "fraternities,"
that are entrusted with the care of venerable floats
that carry a statue of Christ and the Virgin Mary
through the streets during Semana Santa.
These floats have a dual purpose:
to teach and to honor.
They provide parents with a way to talk to their children
about the last days of Jesus' life,
as well as how to deal with complex emotions
like suffering and grief.
Sevillanos hold a special place in their hearts for Mary.
Floats with Mary evoke great emotions,
and remind them of the grieving mother
who has lost her only son.
Every neighborhood church has its own unique Mary.
All are the grieving mothers of the crucified Christ,
but each one represents a different aspect of her sorrow.
And there are other floats.
This one,
nicknamed La Borriquita, or "The Little Donkey,"
depicts Jesus' grand entrance into Jerusalem.
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La Borriquita leaves its church
and begins its procession through the narrow streets.
This marks the official start of Holy Week.
From now on, every day until Easter Sunday,
the city is enlivened with dozens of such processions.
These ritual parades
first filled the streets of Sevilla 400 years ago.
They're designed to present the story of the Passion
the death and resurrection of Jesus
in a way the average person could understand.
Today, some 60 fraternities each make the journey on foot,
carrying floats in processions like these from their parishes
to the city's cathedral, and back.
The journey, through miles of passionate crowds,
can take up to 14 hours.
Strong men called costaleros work in shifts.
As a team, they bear two tons of weight
on the backs of their necks,
an experience they consider a great honor
despite, and indeed because of, the pain involved.
The caped and hooded figures of devoted penitents
surround the floats.
These are an icon of Semana Santa celebrations.
Unfortunately, for most Americans,
these masked figures evoke the Ku Klux Klan.
But these outfits pre-date the racist KKK by centuries.
And ironically, the original purpose of the hoods
was to show that everyone is equal in the eyes of God,
and to ensure that sinners could repent in anonymity.
Unaware of the confusion
their cones may cause many visitors on Palm Sunday,
the youngest penitents continue on their way.
Some are into it, and others not so much.
But all take their place in a sacred Easter ritual
that's been practiced for hundreds of years.
This shop's been selling penitent cones for 200 years,
and is full of locals getting a last-minute fitting.
Behind the busy shop,
a woman stitches the cones by hand,
just as she's done for 40 years.
Nearby, another shop makes the woven belts and necklace cords
that penitents wear over their robes.
The shop is so small,
the spinning spills into the street.
Bakeries are filled with holiday treats,
like sweet cookies and spicy pestiños.
Hungry patrons at this tapas bar
enjoy meatless pre-Easter plates of salt cod fritters.
And the walls are completely covered
with historic photos of Semana Santa,
while a TV set shows coverage of the float procession
rather than football.
At home, children get ready with a dress rehearsal,
practicing the big moment when they get to join a procession.
Juan and Irena patiently review the plan,
and dress up as young penitents.
As a reward, they help Mama and Papa make torrijas,
another Semana Santa favorite
this one made with bread, honey, and cinnamon.