(Fin de) Semana Santa

Last month I was looking forward to experiencing my first Semana Santa in Spain, with plans to go to Zamora to see some of the famous processions that take place there, with their funny walking, and their scary looking robes, and their big Christ/Virgin statues. But I caught the flu, so I saw none of that. I was stuck indoors for almost the entire time, but come Sunday I felt better enough to venture out to see one of the only things left to see of the Easter celebrations, (which in Madrid is apparently not as a big a thing as other cities anyway) the TAMBORRADA.

They weren't doing anything particularly "Easter-y", and it wouldn't be top of any 'must-see' Semana Santa celebrations: they just stood there in the Plaza Mayor and drummed. Now considering I'm really not a fan of solo percussion (what's the point if there's no musical accompaniment?) and not so long ago I was waiting in Lavapies and getting very pissed off by the existence of a contingent of conga players and their inescapable mindless rhythmic improvisational noodlings - I wasn't expecting to be impressed.

But I was. I loved it.

Probably because it was like being at the start of a Paul Simon concert circa 1991, which, for me, would be pretty amazing.

Anyway, I'll have to wait til next year now, hopefully I might actually get to see more of what goes on.