We went to a parade!

Last night Jose and I went to go see a parade! It´s not what you think, there weren´t any Spanish shriners and there was no candy thrown (that is reserved for Los Reyes). Not a fire truck could be seen and though there was a marching band (whose players chain smoked between songs), their music didn´t consist of ´Stars and Stripes Forever´or any type of fight song. It was much more solemn. Rather, we went to watch a religious ceremony in Mairena in which they took the city´s Virgen statue (she is known as Nuestra Señora de los Remedios) out to parade through the streets because it was her special day. In Spain this is called "un paso" and consists of a group of people who bear the weight of what can only be described as a float covered in flowers and candles atop of which perches the venerated statue which is decked out in all its finery (crown, robes, etc). The people who carry the Virgen move to the beat of drums and are hidden beneath the ´float´. It is a special honor to haul the statue around and they practice a lot before the actual paso. The use of incense completes the vibe. The whole thing is quite an experience and I would recommend taking a look at a youtube video of un paso to get an idea of what I am talking about. My real point with this post is how fascinating I find religion here in Spain. They don´t just celebrate Easter, they have a whole week, Semana Santa. You will be wished not only a happy birthday but also a happy saint´s day (depending on your name, most of which are inevitably have a religious connotation). It seems that every other block has a church. But what I love is that the churches alternate with bars. Churches are easy to spot: steeple, cross, you know. Bars are just as easy to recognize. Each has a round, red sign that carries the emblem of Cruzcampo, the local beer. I have never seen so many bars in my life and most of them are dives, always full of older gentlemen. The floors are probably covered in peanut shells and other types of litter. Most still allow smoking. They are on every other corner. The amount of churches as well as bars is indicative of the Spanish. They are like Jesus in a tuxedo t-shirt: it says they want to be formal but they´re here to party. You can guess what we did after seeing the paso, because apparently nothing is better than a beer after a religious event.