**There is no known connection to why the Klu Klux Klan have similar costumes**
These are some pictures I got from the internet of different colours of costumes, floats, and the women who participate in Semana Santa.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Semana Santa Costumes and Floats - Internet Pictures
Nazarenos are what the people dressed in costumes durring Holy Week are called. It is a mystery why these costumes that are used in Semana Santa celebrations are designed as they are. But their purpose is to cover their faces because they are in mourning, and it is also a sign of shame for the sins that they have committed throughout the year. In some large parades in Spain participants go to extremes by wounding themselves throughout the procession to make up for their sins. I did not see any of this thankfully, that would be scary.
**There is no known connection to why the Klu Klux Klan have similar costumes**
These are some pictures I got from the internet of different colours of costumes, floats, and the women who participate in Semana Santa.
**There is no known connection to why the Klu Klux Klan have similar costumes**
These are some pictures I got from the internet of different colours of costumes, floats, and the women who participate in Semana Santa.
Semana Santa
When I first arrived to Spain I visited the Casino. I honestly thought we were going gambling when we were searching for it, but it is not that kind of casino. The Casino used to be a gentlemen’s club, and still kind of is. Men can purchase memberships and use the facilities at the Casino, which basically include reading rooms, game rooms, and rooms to drink. Back in the day the Casino was the most popular meeting spot for men, and women were absolutely not allowed to enter. Women are now allowed to enter, and they have turned the Casino into a museum (except for the small area that remains a gentlemen’s club). We did a self guided tour through it with personal speakers. It is extremely beautiful in there. There are various rooms that you enter and learn about which are numbered off. The rooms contain art, sculptures, and some original architecture. The sculptures in there are built onto platforms. We learned that the Casino holds the “floats” that are used for Semana Santa (Holy Week). This past couple weeks before and during Easter there has been celebrations, and I got to see the “floats” be paraded proudly through the streets of Murcia for Semana Santa.
Over 14 days processions were held every day. Men carry these extremely heavy floats across the city for hours, and the whole city is out watching. Women and children are also dressed who are participating in the processions, and even the people sitting outside watching are dressed in their Sunday best. The plain and simple history behind this huge celebration is the commemoration of the death of Christ.
The people dressed up are stuffed with candy. The children who are watching with their families bring bags, it is like their version of Halloween, but it lasts almost two weeks! Lucky, lucky kids. That is a lot of possible candy collection by the end of it! A year supply, for sure.
Semana Santa was very interesting to watch, and the floats were beautiful. It was warming to see the community coming together to celebrate something they all support so strongly.
I think cultural tourism is a huge part of Spain's tourism income. Durring these festivities I noticed a lot of people speaking different languages all around, clearly who have travelled to view the festivities. Spain has a lot of celebrations commemorating their culture throughout the year, so their are lots of opportunities for people to come and experience Spanish culture year round.
The following are some pictures that my mom took while she was here, on the first day of the celebrations. Every day they were dressed in different colours. On Easter they were dressed in white.
I couldn't find anything on the internet, but a lot of these people grabbed their faces like the picture above. I thought it was to be able to see but then I saw a statue in Murcia of a man dressed in this costume and he was doing the same thing. So I think the face grabbing has some sort of cultural signifigance.
One of the floats, and the men carrying it. All of these men seemed to be in extreme pain carrying these floats. But I think it is looked at as an honour to be one of the people carrying it. Some of these processions last for hours and some men walk it barefoot.
It seemed like there were millions of people in the streets.
There were two priests who stood outside the Cathedral in a balcone everyday for the entire procession.
Some Pictures
This is a picture from inside the Cathedral in Murcia. I don't think it is very clear but you can see the 'exhibits' behind the bars up against the walls.
This is another picture of the Cathedral. This one is from the internet, but it is easier to see the bars on the walls in this one.
This is an area of Fuensanta.
Hiking around Fuensanta.
This is me climbing down the "Jesus Statue"
This picture is from the internet, it a further picture of Monteagado (Jesus Statue). This is more or less what I can see from my balcone.
Ontop of the castle in Lorca.
This is from the internet but it is a better view of the castle in Lorca.
Monday, April 25, 2011
The Livin's Easy
I think for the most part Canadians have easy going and laid back personalities. We have grown to become a fast paced society, but I think that is happening almost all around the world. As much as we evolve and become a very "Go! Go! Go!" society, I hope we will always remain relaxed and happy.
Spanish culture is extremely relaxed. If someone is to move here who enjoys a scheduled lifestyle, I don't think they would last. How the Spanish view schedule and how we do in North America is so different. Our lifestyles are so different.
Firstly, Siesta Time is an amazing time and idea. For 3-4 hours everyday in the afternoon most businesses close. So if you want to go shopping or eat at a restaurant, this time of day has to be considered. Siesta is usually between 2-5pm. It isn't absolutly everything that shuts down durring Siesta but the city becomes so much quieter durring it. I think this is an amazing thing. This gives people time in the day to relax, do something for themselves, or spend time with their family.
On Sundays basically everything is closed. People relax and go to church on Sundays. One of the first things my roomates told me was to grocery shop before Sunday because I would be out of luck finding anything open.
"Take-Out" and "To Go" are barely apart of the Spanish vocabulary. They would rather take the time to sit back and enjoy a coffee or meal, instead of rush.
Rushing doesn't even exist. Noone is on time for anything. Setting a time for something turns out to be very lenient. People don't rush when they are at work, the bus shows up whenever it does, rent and bills get paid whenever you "get around to it", and even my teachers are usually a little late for class.
But when you think about it, what are we rushing for? I don't know why we are in such a rush all the time. People have so much stress in their lives and it has horrible effects on a person's health. Maybe we should introduce siesta time to Canadians and shut down businesses on Sundays. Life is too short for unhappiness and sometimes people lose thought in what really is important in life. Your family, friends, and happiness should always come first, "Go! Go! Go!" should come last. I think a lot of people need to re-think how they live their lives, because when it comes down to it we should have happy memories and no regrets.
Spanish culture is extremely relaxed. If someone is to move here who enjoys a scheduled lifestyle, I don't think they would last. How the Spanish view schedule and how we do in North America is so different. Our lifestyles are so different.
Firstly, Siesta Time is an amazing time and idea. For 3-4 hours everyday in the afternoon most businesses close. So if you want to go shopping or eat at a restaurant, this time of day has to be considered. Siesta is usually between 2-5pm. It isn't absolutly everything that shuts down durring Siesta but the city becomes so much quieter durring it. I think this is an amazing thing. This gives people time in the day to relax, do something for themselves, or spend time with their family.
On Sundays basically everything is closed. People relax and go to church on Sundays. One of the first things my roomates told me was to grocery shop before Sunday because I would be out of luck finding anything open.
"Take-Out" and "To Go" are barely apart of the Spanish vocabulary. They would rather take the time to sit back and enjoy a coffee or meal, instead of rush.
Rushing doesn't even exist. Noone is on time for anything. Setting a time for something turns out to be very lenient. People don't rush when they are at work, the bus shows up whenever it does, rent and bills get paid whenever you "get around to it", and even my teachers are usually a little late for class.
But when you think about it, what are we rushing for? I don't know why we are in such a rush all the time. People have so much stress in their lives and it has horrible effects on a person's health. Maybe we should introduce siesta time to Canadians and shut down businesses on Sundays. Life is too short for unhappiness and sometimes people lose thought in what really is important in life. Your family, friends, and happiness should always come first, "Go! Go! Go!" should come last. I think a lot of people need to re-think how they live their lives, because when it comes down to it we should have happy memories and no regrets.
Monteagudo ("The Jesus Rock")
Monteagudo is a small region about 4km away from Murcia. There is a small mountain/rock there with a large Jesus statue on top. When I stand on our balcone at the flat it is very visible in the near distance.
About a month ago I decided to walk over and climb it with a couple other people. This is another instant where differences are visible between Canadians and other cultures. I dont think 4km is a far distance at all - to walk, and especially drive. A lot of people told us it would be impossible to walk the distance. I think because Canada is so large, distances don't phase us. A lot of Canadians have family and friends across the country so driving 4, 5, 6 hours, or more, to visit someone or to get away is not a big deal. Walking to the other side of town instead of driving is also normal for Canadians. (Except lazy ones). One of the girls I was with is from Russia, and as everyone knows Russia is HUGE. We had the same conversation - walking and driving far distances. She said in Russia distances aren't a big issue just like in Canada. So maybe its a size thing? Well, walked to the Jesus statue/rock/mountain and it didn't take long at all.
There are stone steps and metal ladders set up to help people get to the top. There aren't any barriers beside the steps or ladders so if you fall your not in a good position. It is definitly not okay for people with vertigo. The climb is very steep and I would be impressed with anyone who would bush wack (rock wack?) there own way up.
Every so often there was a flat bank as you progess higher. It was nice to have them there to stop and catch your breathe and enjoy the scenery. The scenery was awesome. You could see all the mountains around us and and amazing views of the cities surrounding us. Unfortunately, I completely forgot to put my memory card in my camera so all the pictures I took weren't actually there. I ended up breaking my camera on my way down anyway, but I will get back to that.
The last stretch to get to the very top where the statue is didn't have any steps or ladders so you to do some mini rock climbing up about two metres. It was easier to climb up than down.
So now backtracking, as we got closer to the top we were on one of those flat spots taking a break as a man came out of nowhere. He must have been crazy enough to climb the rock without the steps and ladders, and equipment. He was a little strange but he dissapeared. One of the other girls and I did the last stretch after we saw him, and separated at the top. We both ended up running into him a couple times and he seemed pretty out of it and mumbled alot and lerked around while grabbing himself. The Jesus statue is actually a tower on the inside so we wanted to see the view from the top. We climbed about halfway in and it was pitch black from there on up, so we left because it was kind of sketchy. When we got down the "lurker" was blocking the doorway, naked and masturbating, and trying to speak to us. SO, we ran but he followed us. I broke my camera because I threw my backpack down the 2m rock we had to climb to get to the steps to get up there. He stopped following after a little bit, but last week one of the girls I was with went back with some other people. Same deal, except this time he grabbed one of their legs and followed them thirty minutes down the highway until they got into a cab. So anyway, I've heard of religious masturbators but this guy seems pretty wacko. And if he was there on two different occassions and follows people, I dont see why anyone hasn't done anything about it...
Maybe a little too much information, but, that was my trip to the Jesus Rock!
About a month ago I decided to walk over and climb it with a couple other people. This is another instant where differences are visible between Canadians and other cultures. I dont think 4km is a far distance at all - to walk, and especially drive. A lot of people told us it would be impossible to walk the distance. I think because Canada is so large, distances don't phase us. A lot of Canadians have family and friends across the country so driving 4, 5, 6 hours, or more, to visit someone or to get away is not a big deal. Walking to the other side of town instead of driving is also normal for Canadians. (Except lazy ones). One of the girls I was with is from Russia, and as everyone knows Russia is HUGE. We had the same conversation - walking and driving far distances. She said in Russia distances aren't a big issue just like in Canada. So maybe its a size thing? Well, walked to the Jesus statue/rock/mountain and it didn't take long at all.
There are stone steps and metal ladders set up to help people get to the top. There aren't any barriers beside the steps or ladders so if you fall your not in a good position. It is definitly not okay for people with vertigo. The climb is very steep and I would be impressed with anyone who would bush wack (rock wack?) there own way up.
Every so often there was a flat bank as you progess higher. It was nice to have them there to stop and catch your breathe and enjoy the scenery. The scenery was awesome. You could see all the mountains around us and and amazing views of the cities surrounding us. Unfortunately, I completely forgot to put my memory card in my camera so all the pictures I took weren't actually there. I ended up breaking my camera on my way down anyway, but I will get back to that.
The last stretch to get to the very top where the statue is didn't have any steps or ladders so you to do some mini rock climbing up about two metres. It was easier to climb up than down.
So now backtracking, as we got closer to the top we were on one of those flat spots taking a break as a man came out of nowhere. He must have been crazy enough to climb the rock without the steps and ladders, and equipment. He was a little strange but he dissapeared. One of the other girls and I did the last stretch after we saw him, and separated at the top. We both ended up running into him a couple times and he seemed pretty out of it and mumbled alot and lerked around while grabbing himself. The Jesus statue is actually a tower on the inside so we wanted to see the view from the top. We climbed about halfway in and it was pitch black from there on up, so we left because it was kind of sketchy. When we got down the "lurker" was blocking the doorway, naked and masturbating, and trying to speak to us. SO, we ran but he followed us. I broke my camera because I threw my backpack down the 2m rock we had to climb to get to the steps to get up there. He stopped following after a little bit, but last week one of the girls I was with went back with some other people. Same deal, except this time he grabbed one of their legs and followed them thirty minutes down the highway until they got into a cab. So anyway, I've heard of religious masturbators but this guy seems pretty wacko. And if he was there on two different occassions and follows people, I dont see why anyone hasn't done anything about it...
Maybe a little too much information, but, that was my trip to the Jesus Rock!
Sites
I have done a little bit of site seeing this past week while I had people visiting. Mostly in Murcia and the cities surrounding.
Earlier in the week Kieren came with me on a school trip to Lorca. It is a city around one hour away from here. The bus ride took us into the mountains and we got to go on a tour of the castle in Lorca and the castle grounds. The castle seemed ancient and it was beautiful. We went up to the highest point where the watch guards used to be, and the view from the top was very pretty. We were surrounded by mountains we could see the city, and further cities. The tour was in Spanish so it was a little complicated to follow, but it was still nice to see.
I also went to the Cathedral, I have been there before and walk by it everyday, but I wouldn't mind going back a few times. There are a bunch of 'exhibits' in the Catheseal that are enclosed by bars. They look like ancient religious symbols, statues, and monuments. It kind of feels like a museum in there, but services still take place.
We took a walk into the mountains and explored the area of Fuensanta. There is an old monestary up in the mountains that we got pretty close to, but there were groups practicing for the upcoming processions and we didn't want to bother them by going onto the monestary grounds and the path they were on. We did a little bit of hiking and that whole area is beautiful.
The rest of the time we spent in Murcia exploring locally. There is a lot of history within the city and the architecture is fantasic.
Earlier in the week Kieren came with me on a school trip to Lorca. It is a city around one hour away from here. The bus ride took us into the mountains and we got to go on a tour of the castle in Lorca and the castle grounds. The castle seemed ancient and it was beautiful. We went up to the highest point where the watch guards used to be, and the view from the top was very pretty. We were surrounded by mountains we could see the city, and further cities. The tour was in Spanish so it was a little complicated to follow, but it was still nice to see.
I also went to the Cathedral, I have been there before and walk by it everyday, but I wouldn't mind going back a few times. There are a bunch of 'exhibits' in the Catheseal that are enclosed by bars. They look like ancient religious symbols, statues, and monuments. It kind of feels like a museum in there, but services still take place.
We took a walk into the mountains and explored the area of Fuensanta. There is an old monestary up in the mountains that we got pretty close to, but there were groups practicing for the upcoming processions and we didn't want to bother them by going onto the monestary grounds and the path they were on. We did a little bit of hiking and that whole area is beautiful.
The rest of the time we spent in Murcia exploring locally. There is a lot of history within the city and the architecture is fantasic.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Visitors
My Mom when I first got surprised.
Me, Kate, Kieren
Kate, Kieren, and I
All of the visitors!
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