So it's been a while since the Lisbon post. It is now Semana Santa here and anywhere else it is celebrated I suppose.

I'm not doing anything in particular except for working on things that need to get done (papers, research, class registration). My roommate has is parents here in Seville and I just met them today. They are going to a flamenco show tonight. Most of out group is traveling somewhere, some took the Eurorail while others flew to their destinations. Some of the places being visited are Vigo in Galicia, Spain, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Dublin, and Italy.

Semana Santa here is marked by processions consisting of Nazarenos which bear the likeness of the KKK costumes. The KKK costumes stole their looks from the Nazarenos and from Catholicism. The Nazareno costume is derived from the uniform worn by the inquisitors during the holy inquisition according to some sources. The Nazarenos are accompanied by Penitentes, they wear similar costumes but without a structural cone in the hood. The Penitentes walk barefoot and carry a cross as if paying for some sin. Costaleros carry the Pasos (floats) the floats are heavy and of about 20 Costaleros each carries 40 Kilos or more. There are two Pasos per procession, one of the Virgin Mary (this one is the most important) and one of Jesus Christ. All processions need to pass in from the the Cathedral (the Cathedral of Seville is the largest Gotich cathedral in the world and the third larges Christian church bested only by St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican and St. Paul's Cathedral in London.