Author: Madelyn Dibee | Major: Advertising, Public Relations and Journalism | Semester Spring 2025
Semana Santa brotherhood!
The last month of my study abroad in Sevilla, Spain was full of ups and downs. While I was excited to be back home with the people that I love, I was also incredibly upset to leave this place that I have called home for the past three months. This past month, I have truly tried to embrace every aspect of culture in Sevilla.
My program gave us one week off from class during our second to last week here. This week happened to fall on Holy Week, which is a very big deal in Sevilla. They refer to the week as “Semana Santa”. While many people chose to take some international trips during this week, my roommate and I wanted to stay in Seville for most of it in order to fully embrace Semana Santa. Our first weekend off, we took a train up to Madrid. We saw some really cool sights, such as museums centered around prominent Spanish artists like Goya and Sorolla. After that, we went back to Sevilla just in time for Semana Santa. It was a week full of parades and floats and music all across the city center. Men would train for months to be able to carry these various heavy floats displaying Christian symbolism, such as Jesus on a cross or nativity scenes. The floats are all extremely intricate and covered in gold. The men would carry them around the city blindfolded, so as to not be recognized by others and to keep the connection of what they are doing between them and God.
The brotherhoods were also very cool to see. They are religious fraternities which organize and carry out the processions throughout Sevilla. They also hide their identities by being covered in fabric from head to toe. Unfortunately, the KKK actually modeled their outfits after them, so it was a very unique experience to see those outfits be worn with good intentions. Many would march across the streets together wearing nothing on their feet. It takes so much dedication to put that much effort into something, so I was very glad I got to be there to experience it.
I also got to go to a futbol game this month. There is a professional team in Seville called Sevilla FC who we were rooting for. It was quite a fun experience and I am really glad that I went. The weather was perfect and the fans were so passionate. The game ended in a tie, but it was worth the visit anyways.
My favorite academic experience this month was in my Flamenco class. My professor brought in a guitarist to demonstrate common guitar methods used in flamenco performances. We learned various strumming techniques that differ from traditional guitar playing and got to hear some samples of what guitar sounds like in different flamenco genres. The guitarist did not speak any English, so we communicated almost entirely through music, which was an incredibly cool experience. We even got to perform the dances we have learned throughout the class with a live guitar performance to accompany.
Throughout my entire study abroad experience, not only have I gotten to meet so many new people, but I have also learned so much about both myself and the world around me. I have gained a new perspective on what I want out of life and would not give up these valuable experiences for anything in the world.