Takeoff in 3…2….1

We are boarding our plane to Spain tomorrow night and we are excited to hit the ground running and bring you behind the scenes of our filming process. Be on the lookout for daily blog posts and social media stories!

While we are excited to shoot our documentary and learn more about the cooperage tradition, we are also excited to immerse ourselves in the culture of Spain as a whole. We are going at the perfect time to get a taste of local customs as we will be there to see the Semana Santa (Holy Week celebrations) in Málaga, said to have some of the most glamorous processions. “Easter is a one-of-a-kind display of tradition, music, culture, theatre and religion” especially in the area of Andalusia (southern Spain region) we will be exploring (Enforex).

So what do these celebrations entail?

In the jubilant Andalusian regions, they are mainly identified by their lively processions featuring two intensely adorned floats, one of the Virgin and the other of a scene from Christ’s Passion. They are usually accompanied by coronet and drum music that are said to reverberate deep within the soul. While the floats are visually impressive, they are equally spectacular in the way they are transported. There are up to forty men, called costaleros, who haul the float on their shoulders and control its swaying motion. After hours of practice, their synchronicity makes the realistic figures on top look as if they are walking along to the music (Enforex). Walking alongside the float you will see countless rows of nazarenos, or penitents, who stay in step with the floats throughout the entire procession which can last up to 14 hours!

These processions are the undertaking of various brotherhoods and fraternities that began in the Middle Ages and Baroque periods. Membership is usually open to any Catholic person and family tradition is an important element to become a member or “brother” (hermano). There are multiple routes throughout this region and they are all infused with their own unique additions and interpretations of the processional traditions. Málaga is known for being one of the most lively interpretations with the streets lined with exuberant art, full of color and grandeur. While other parts of the region have a more meditative and silent reverence from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday, Málaga is filled with merriment and music throughout the week.

We are extremely lucky to be there to experience such a special time in Spanish culture. We look forward to sharing some of those celebrations with you as well! Stay tuned across all of our social channels to get daily updates on our process and the beautiful sites we are seeing along the way. Nos vemos en españa!