The Holy Week celebrations in Spain are very popular. These represent an important event both on a cultural and tourist level, going beyond the purely religious aspect.
During these processions, there are two figures that are always present: the nazarenos and the penitentes.
The nazarenos are brothers of a confraternity who accompany the various effigies during processions. They wear a tunic and a headdress called a capirote and their colour changes according to the brotherhood they belong to. Other elements that are part of their uniform are the gloves, the belt buckle and the tunic buttons. Some wear the cirio, a very large and heavy wax candle.
The penitentes are always confraternity brothers, but unlike the nazarenos during the procession they perform acts of penance such as dragging chains or walking barefoot. Some of them carry a wooden cross to remind them of Jesus’ journey to Calvary. They wear masks to cover their faces instead of the traditional capirote.
