Malaga - Wednesday in Holy Week

Holy Week certainly disrupts everyone's routines and timetables. This proposed Bible Study at Velez Malaga this afternoon was cancelled and nobody came to join Clare and I for the midweek Eucharist this morning. After the service we went for a walk along the promenade, did some food shopping and then had lunch before going into the Old Town to see what could be seen.

I was struggling a little with making sense of the processional timetable of the day, from a paper copy I'd picked up on Monday. I thought a procession was starting from St John the Baptist church around five, but it started in earnest over an an hour later, so arriving late we didn't miss it. This is  one of the four city parish churches established immediately at the start of the sixteenth century, post reconquista. It has several cofradias associated with their own long histories. Anyway, we were there when the trona of Jesus hanging alone on his cross emerged from the church through huge clouds of incense. This different from the crucifixion I saw last night, from another cofradia.

As this procession started, another trona appeared in an adjoining street on another route, depicting Jesus crucified, but with the cross being hoisted into position by several soldiers. Twenty minutes later a second trona emerged from St John the Baptist church, depicting Jesus being scourged at the pillar by the Roman soldiers. A third trona, this time of Our Lady followed this, escorted by a squad of soldiers and their band, all of whom, while marching performed precision co-ordinated juggling acts with their guns (hopefully unloaded), or their musical instruments.

We then made our way back to the apartment for an early supper. As it was still light, I left Clare behind to relax. She's not so accustomed to crowds as I have become lately in Malaga. Here people seem to enjoy being together in large numbers, and are good natured easy with each other in close proximity, used to there being small children, families passing through with infants in push-chairs, somewhat in in contrast to Britain where I feel tense and edgy in a crowd. It's such a different social culture.

I got as far as the Cathedral, where there were large crowds of people accompanying a procession of Our Lady, whose trona was visiting the Cathedral. Half an hour later another procession passed by outside the Cathedral down Calle Cister. By this time the Cathedral doors had been closed for the night as it was half past ten. The trona depicted Jesus at the time of his death with the three Marys and St John standing there witnessing the moment.

Once the crowd had loosened up I started making my way back to base along Avenida Cervantes, passing yet another procession with a trona of Our Lady and another of Jesus alone carrying his cross, not expected to return to their home church until well after midnight. I was glad that I only had a ten minute walk before turning in for the night. That was quite a demanding day of walking and standing.  So many surprises and so much to take in.  My photos of the day are here