The Procession of Pain in León, Spain, Stayed Mainly in the Rain

To be totally honest, I was so certain that Friday night's single procession, marking the beginning of Holy Week, would be cancelled, that I had already written another article for today. The forecast was calling for a one hundred percent chance of rain at 8:00 p.m., the time the procession was scheduled to begin. When I left home with my camera a half hour earlier, light rain was already falling.  Then, as I got to the Church of Our Lady of the Market and the Road (Iglesia Ntra. Sra. del Mercado y del Camino), the narrow medieval streets were so crowded with umbrella wielding by-standers that it was impossible to get to the front of the church. There were only maybe a thousand people, but in narrow streets with hundreds of open umbrellas, navigation and visibility were virtually impossible.  Sardines are not packed so tightly.  I honestly wonder how many people may have been admitted to the emergency room Friday night due to umbrella-related blindness in one or both eyes.

As I had neglected to bring an umbrella from the United States, my mother-in-law, María Rosa, was kind enough to lend me an oversized pocket umbrella.  It was bright pink, with little light pink flowers stretched in a field along the center. Unfortunately, both my hands were necessary to control my camera, and I never got to use it.  At least, I'm not guilty of putting someone's eye out.

The street was lined with the faithful despite the rain and the promise of heavier rain.  (You can click on photographs in this blog for a larger view.  Hit the "escape" or "esc" key to return to nornal viewing.)

This was the first of the processions of León's Holy Week, Procesión de Dolorosa (Procession of Pain, or Sorrow) which always takes place one week before Good Friday on Viernes de Dolores (the Friday of Pain; in English, also known as the Friday of Sorrows.)  The procession marks the start of the ten day Semana Santa, or Holy Week, not only in León, but also throughout Spain. It recalls the pain and suffering of the Virgin Mary throughout the Passion. Of the 33 processions in León during Holy Week, the Friday of Pain is the only day that a single procession takes place.  Unfortunately, the weather in León is unpredictable, and with more than thirty processions, it is inevitable that some will be the victims of weather during the ten days.

At 8 o'clock when I saw no movement and heard no music, I was sure the procession would be cancelled.  The light rain was becoming heavier. Then, a few minutes later, I heard bells ringing and could tell there was movement at the front of the church.  Despite the downpour, and from a distance, I finally saw the cross of the one paso (religious float) sticking out above the umbrellas.  It swayed from side to side for several minutes.  I thought it likely that they would stay in front of the church for a few minutes, just to make a showing without cancelling the event; then they would return inside. But after a while, the procession moved forward through the street and I could hear the band moving in front of it.

In this procession, medieval hoods do not hide the identities of the participants.

Eventually, I worked my way through the streets and found a spot where the procession would pass by.  The soaked musician came first, followed by ladies carrying candles that somehow stayed lit. At the end came the paso, with the representation of the Virgin Mary, covered in plastic.  The procession turned a corner, and it was obvious they had turned back toward the Church.  The procession would soon be over,  hours earlier than scheduled, but they at least had made a showing for the umbrella-bearing faithful.

The paso depicting the Virgin Mary sorrowfully holding the body of her son was covered in plastic to protect it from the rain.  Some pasos date back hundred of years and cannot be exposed to the harsh weather.

Because of the plastic covering, it was impossible to view the beauty of the paso.  The procession soon turned a corner and headed back to the Church.

After such a procession, the crowds huddled into bars for drinks and tapas.  My mother-in-law and I met friends at El  Rincón de los Gauchos, a well-known tapas bar, and had wine and an excellent garlic soup for tapas.

We enjoyed wine and garlic soup as my camera dried out.

As I'm writing this the following morning, snow is falling outside, but melting as it hits the ground.  There are five processions scheduled for tonight.  We will see what happens.

The view outside my window as I write this blog entry.  It's hard to tell, but the white splotches you see against the road are falling snowflakes.

I will be blogging about Holy Week from León and much more in the upcoming days.  If you would like to follow along and receive a notification when a new post appears, please subscribe by clicking here and entering your email address.

You can view my fine art photography website at:  www.tombellart.com.

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