We will not have intercambio next week because of Semana Santa (the streets in the center of the city are basically impassable in the evenings next week). The topic of almost every small conversation is about plans in and out of Sevilla next week. My poor partner asked a couple of times if I was really sure that everything in the United States would not be closed on Thursday and Friday next week at the very least. The idea that it was just another week for most people - and certainly for most businesses, was outside of his imagination.
I am sure that there are people in the US who would be just as surprised that people here don't dye or hide eggs and that the Easter Bunny neither sits in the mall for photos nor fills baskets with candy and small gifts.
One thing that I am finally getting used to here is seeing the tall pointy hats (capirotes) in all of the store windows. They have them for all sizes since men, women and children can all be Nazerenos and an overwhelming number of the brotherhoods have Nazereno outfits with at least robes and capirotes (some also have special belts, sashes or other accouterments.)
When I first started seeing the postcards and posters with photos of the costumed Nazerenos, I, of course, thought of the KKK. Without question the Nazerenos came first. The look was appropriated by the Klan who then popularized the look which is now associated around the world with the abhorrent views of the KKK.
After months of seeing every possible knick-knack (from rubber duck to USB drive) in the shape of a Nazereno, I am finally starting to think Nazereno and not KKK. Today in class we talked about how the costumes have been the same for hundreds of years, but the forms for the hats have gone through a number of iterations - now almost everyone has a light plastic frame (for sale at dozens of mom and pop shops as well as the big department store downtown) - there are a few people who are still using the older "cardboard" model, but it doesn't do well when it gets wet.
I am pretty sure all of the Nazerenos for this year have their robes, capes, belts, and capirotes ready to go - but you can still see models in stores like this one at the top of our bridge.
