A strong Catholic tradition, but losing momentum
Despite its secular constitution, Spain is still strongly influenced by the Christian Catholic tradition, and in 2023, 56% of Spaniards still declared themselves to be Catholics (source CIS). But while it remained very much alive and practiced until the 1970s, the religion is currently losing ground, particularly among young city dwellers. And the church, which has long enjoyed a large following, is seeing its influence on the daily lives of the faithful steadily diminish. More than half of them admit to not practicing. This decline is also reflected in the way the Church functions, with a drop in priestly vocations and a considerable fall in the number of monastic orders. The issue of teaching religion in schools has emerged in the political debate, with two opposing approaches. In 2006, the passing of a law reducing the weight of religion in education marked a breakthrough, making it optional when it had previously been compulsory and decisive for access to higher education and university classes. The Church and the PP (Popular Party) opposed this text, and in 2013, under Mariano Rajoy's government, a new education reform put religion back at the center of the debate: pupils had to choose between courses in religion or "cultural and social values". In 2018, Pedro Sánchez (PSOE) reaffirmed his desire for no religion to feature in the curriculum, and was sworn in as President of the Government before the Constitution and not the Bible, a first in Spanish democracy.
A religious practice with an Andalusian accent
As in the rest of Spain, the Catholic religion is in the majority in Andalusia. But with its own particular accents. Here, popular religion is characterized first and foremost by its great devotion to the Virgin Mary, which has earned the region the nickname "Land of Mary, the Most Holy". This fervor is reflected in the number and importance of the romerías, pilgrimages dedicated to her. At the forefront of these is the romería del Rocío, one of the largest in Spain, which sometimes brings together over a million people, driven by a variety of motivations, but also imbued with a very real faith. The Virgen de Araceli festival in Lucena, Cordoba, and the Virgen de la Cabeza festival in Andújar, Jaén, are also very popular. But it is perhaps the way in which Semana Santa is celebrated that sets it apart. Here, too, it is first and foremost a religious festival that recreates the Passion and death of Christ, but at the same time it is a popular and social festival that draws thousands of people into the streets. Having often emerged historically as a counter-reformation to the Protestant Reformation, demanding humility and purity, Andalusian Holy Week reclaims noise, color and emotion. Seville, Málaga and Granada are home to the most famous Holy Weeks, but dozens of other towns have maintained this tradition, often for centuries, and many Spaniards from the north of the peninsula come to attend, because they feel that the real Semana Santa takes place in Andalusia.
A Semana Santa lived with fervor and ardor
This Holy Week will be prepared throughout the year and preceded by Lent, forty days before Easter, during which flamenco concerts and open days organized by the fraternities ( hermandades) will follow one another. The Holy Weeks themselves will see parades of pasos, altars carried by members of a brotherhood, cofradía, followed by large processions of hooded penitents, circuits punctuated by a saeta, a short song. These festivities also feature an extraordinary artistic heritage, with some of the jewels of religious imagery the work of extremely renowned artists such as Juan de Mesa in Seville. If you're not in Andalusia during these periods, you can approach and understand it by visiting the interpretation centers dedicated to them. Or push open the doors of cofradía (brotherhood) houses, which often possess real treasures and have sometimes set up small, highly educational museums.
