Semana Santa 2011 - The tradition of the robes

This year's edition of Semana Santa falls much later than usual, which means that the temperatures will be milder (one might even suggest downright warm) for much of the week, and the celebrations are in full swing. By now many people are familiar with the idea of the various brotherhoods slowly progressing through the streets of the cities and towns bearing a large float  depicting events of the last week of Jesus' life dressed from head to foot in robes of various colors. This merits some explanation.

Unfortunately, for many, this might be a frightening prospect, but let's remember that certain groups in the US started wearing similar (white) robes to hide their identities to commit atrocities, whereas in Spain the idea originated hundreds of years before the USA even existed as a country. The idea of each member dressing identically comes from the equality of the brotherhood. The hoods, often conical formations, are designed to represent the punishment that was reserved for convicted religious wrongdoers in the Middle Ages, and was contrived as a form of ridicule. Now, the brotherhoods use the hoods to show penitence and to admit to their own guilt in the death of Jesus. A far cry indeed from the despicable uses for which they were put to use much later in the USA.