Well, what can I say....... It is Good Friday and as Menorca - as much of Spain - has quite a Catholic background, we headed out to the Good Friday parade.
Mum and Dad didn't really tell me much, only that they wore uniforms, drummed alot and carried statues through the town.
We walked across town to get a good position to watch the parade, and had to cross the tail end of the parade before they set off. Coming around the corner, of sleepy Mahon, I was greeted by what could only be likened to the Ku Klux Klan in Maroon?????????? I looked at my parents in dismay, and they assured me that this is "traditional" Easter costumes to do with the higher the point to the sky, the closer to God you are.
So, after this initial shock, we headed, at pace, from the Santa Maria Church up to Sant Francis Church at the top of Mahon. This gave us a good vantage point as this is at the top of quite a long straight road through the city.
It was amazing!!! Over a thousand people marching through the street to drum beats and trumpets playing, all dressed in robes and pointy hats of different colours. It is a very solemn affair, marking the cruxifiction of Christ and Mary's grief afterwards. The crowds are silent as the various stages of the run up to the cruxifiction are displayed as statues. Each being carried by one of the different churches in the Mahon area, each area having it's own colour - although I think there may be some religious connotations to the colours, but I'm not sure.
So, from Peter and the cockerel, through to John the Evangelist offering to carry the cross, to the cruxifiction, Jesus being laid to rest and the grieving Mary, all passed before our eyes. It was spectacular, and this was happening in most towns and cities across Spain!!!! If you are religious in any way, I would recommend it, and even if you're not it is quite some sight!
The photos are brilliant! Click here
Please forgive any religious errors.....
Love Iona x
365milesin365days@googlemail.com
Mum and Dad didn't really tell me much, only that they wore uniforms, drummed alot and carried statues through the town.
We walked across town to get a good position to watch the parade, and had to cross the tail end of the parade before they set off. Coming around the corner, of sleepy Mahon, I was greeted by what could only be likened to the Ku Klux Klan in Maroon?????????? I looked at my parents in dismay, and they assured me that this is "traditional" Easter costumes to do with the higher the point to the sky, the closer to God you are.
So, after this initial shock, we headed, at pace, from the Santa Maria Church up to Sant Francis Church at the top of Mahon. This gave us a good vantage point as this is at the top of quite a long straight road through the city.
It was amazing!!! Over a thousand people marching through the street to drum beats and trumpets playing, all dressed in robes and pointy hats of different colours. It is a very solemn affair, marking the cruxifiction of Christ and Mary's grief afterwards. The crowds are silent as the various stages of the run up to the cruxifiction are displayed as statues. Each being carried by one of the different churches in the Mahon area, each area having it's own colour - although I think there may be some religious connotations to the colours, but I'm not sure.
So, from Peter and the cockerel, through to John the Evangelist offering to carry the cross, to the cruxifiction, Jesus being laid to rest and the grieving Mary, all passed before our eyes. It was spectacular, and this was happening in most towns and cities across Spain!!!! If you are religious in any way, I would recommend it, and even if you're not it is quite some sight!
The photos are brilliant! Click here
Please forgive any religious errors.....
Love Iona x
365milesin365days@googlemail.com
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