AP PHOTOS: Rain or shine, emotions run high at Seville's Holy Week processions in Spain

AP PHOTOS: Rain or shine, emotions run high at Seville’s Holy Week processions in Spain

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Altar servers crowd a window to watch the passing of the Christ of the San Bernardo brotherhood during Holy Week in Seville, Spain, Wednesday April 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

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Penitents of ‘San Gonzalo’ brotherhood process through the streets of Seville during Holy Week in Spain, Monday, April 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

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Flower petals are thrown from balconies during a Holy Week procession in Seville, Spain, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

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A penitent holds his six-month-old son as he processes through the streets of Seville during Holy Week in Spain, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

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A woman reacts by crying as the Christ of the brotherhood of La Estrella is carried out of the church to process through the streets of Seville, during Holy Week in Spain, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

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Penitents from “La Paz” brotherhood walk to the church to take part in a procession in Seville, Spain, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

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A man bursts into tears as an image of the Virgin Mary is carried in procession through the streets of Seville during Holy Week, Spain, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

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Guardia Civil officers guard the procession as the penitents of the brotherhood of ‘La Paz’ walk through the streets of Seville during Holy Week, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

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A penitent of the Los Estudiantes brotherhood is blessed after confessing to a priest as they prepare to go on procession during Holy Week in Seville, Spain, Tuesday, April 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

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Worshipers react in tears while looking at the Christ of ‘El Cerro’ brotherhood as they process through the streets of Seville, during Holy Week in Spain, Tuesday, April 15, 2025.(AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

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Penitents of the Estrella brotherhood walk in procession across the so-called Triana bridge during Holy Week in Seville., Spain, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

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Worshipers react while looking at the Christ of the ‘Santa Genoveva’ brotherhood as they process through the streets of Seville during Holy Week in Spain, Monday, April 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

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People watch from balconies and rooftops as the statue of the Christ of the brotherhood of La Estrella is carried in procession during the Holy Week in Seville, Spain, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

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EDS NOTE: NUDITY - A woman breastfeeds as people look as the Christ of the brotherhood of La Estrella is carried out of the church to process through the streets of Seville, during Holy Week in Spain, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

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A worshipper prays placing her hand on the platform carrying a figure of Christ from the brotherhood of El Cerro, during Holy Week in Seville, Spain, Tuesday, April 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

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Penitents of ‘San Gonzalo’ brotherhood process through the streets of Seville during Holy Week in Spain, Monday, April 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

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A penitent holds her cross as she prays before the start of the procession in the brotherhood of La Sed, during Holy Week in Seville, Spain, Wednesday 16 April, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

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“Costaleros”, who carry over their back the portable dais platform which supports a statue of Jesus Christ, prepare before taking part in a procession in Seville, during Holy Week in Spain, Monday, April 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

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Penitents of the Los Estudiantes brotherhood look up at the sky after being told that they will not go out in procession due to the rain, that has cancelled several processions, during Holy Week in Seville, Spain, Tuesday, April 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

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Visitors shelter from the rain with their umbrellas as they wait in vain for the departure of the processions cancelled due to rain, during Holy Week in Seville, Spain, Tuesday, April 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

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A penitent of the Los Estudiantes brotherhood reacts in tears after being told that they will not go out in procession due to the rain, that has cancelled several processions during Holy Week in Seville, Spain, Tuesday, April 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

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Penitents of ‘San Gonzalo’ brotherhood walk in procession across the so-called Triana bridge during Holy Week in Seville, Spain, Monday, April 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

By EMILIO MORENATTI and GIOVANNA DELL’ORTO

SEVILLE, Spain (AP) — With tears of emotion often flowing down their faces, tens of thousands of faithful have packed the rooftops, bridges and narrow streets of this historic city in southern Spain to watch much-venerated images of Jesus and the Virgin Mary carried in hourslong processions throughout Holy Week.

“To see her in the street, I can’t explain it,” said Modesta Montaña as she cried with her daughter when the statue of Our Lady of Sorrows was carried past them by the Hermandad del Cerro, one of Seville’s dozens of brotherhoods. “It’s the happiness that we have her here outdoors, that this quantity of people are turning out.”

But this year, among the hundreds of brotherhood members charged with shouldering the massive floats and the crowd lined up to watch them, some also cried when more of the powerful storms that have wreaked havoc in the long drought-stricken country nixed their outing at the last minute.

“Another year without being able to see my brotherhood in the streets because of the rain. It’s so sad,” said José Rodríguez, who had gone to watch the Hermandad de los Estudiantes procession on Tuesday, weeping while covering his face with his hands.

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Starting on Palm Sunday, a week before Easter, hundreds of “costaleros” carry huge floats with the sacred images in the procession, solemnly accompanied by thousands of robed “nazarenos” and “penitentes,” many hooded and wearing tall, conical hats.

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It’s a tradition dating back centuries whose fervor continues across Spain — and in many parts of Latin America — even as more people abandon organized religion. In Seville, elderly couples cheered from festively draped balconies, while one mom breastfed her infant daughter in the crowd as a float passed before them.

“Youth especially don’t even think about faith. But popular devotion is a containment line,” said Jesús Resa, who leads the Hermandad de los Estudiantes — or students’ brotherhood, since it was founded just over a century ago by faculty and students at the University of Seville. “Many young people get close to religion because of it.”

In weekly meetings throughout the year, the 6,000-member brotherhood prepares its seven-hour procession to be held on Tuesday of Holy Week. Some 150 people in rotation are to carry the two floats, accompanied by 300 children altar servers — to give it a sweet touch amid the “very rigorous penitential seriousness,” Resa added.

But this year, just like last year, rainstorms scrapped the procession at the last minute. The brotherhood couldn’t risk damaging the 17th-century crucifix of “Christ of the Good Death,” so they celebrated a Via Crucis instead, the prayer that commemorates Jesus’ path to the cross.

Starting in 2023, a persistent drought devastated Spain’s countryside, only to be replaced by severe flooding, including not only spring outpours but a deluge near the city of Valencia last fall that killed more than 200 people. Some scientists say climate change can make such swings more extreme.

Resa said that his brotherhood — like many religious groups across the country — had been praying for rain during the drought.

This Holy Week, they switched to asking Jesus and the Virgin for world peace instead, he added with a chuckle.

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This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.

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Dell’Orto reported from Minneapolis.

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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

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