1. Semana Santa Webquest
Answer the following 3 questions in English based on your own knowledge.
1. What is the origin of the holiday known as Easter? Resurrection of Jesus
Christ
2. How do some people here in the U.S celebrate Easter? (secular and
religious) Many Christians celebrate Easter Sunday in the United States. There
are many Easter baking traditions. The Us people eat Ham fro example. We
also buy eggs and bunnies and we can also put up some bright colors, like
pink and yellow on the trees. A lot of people also go too church.
3. What do you know about how it is celebrated in Spain? They have parades and floats
of Christ or the virgin Mary. During the parade the people are wearing similar hooded
robes. In Spanish Easter is called Semana Santa.
Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/
How_is_easter_celebrated_in_SPAIN#ixzz1JP0lqS4Y
Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/
How_is_easter_celebrated_in_SPAIN#ixzz1JP0h9hHT
Now answer these specific questions by reading at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semana_Santa_en_Sevilla
Type your answers in a different color.
4. What does Semana Santa mean? Holy Week in Seville.
5. When is it? It is celebrated in the week leading up to Easter.
6. Where are the processions going and why? This week features the procession of
floats of wooden sculptures of individual scenes of the events of the Passion. Images
of the Virgin Mary is also shown with restrained grief for the torture and killing of her
Son. They have parades and floats of Christ or the virgin Mary.
2. Semana Santa Webquest
7. What are brotherhoods and what is their purpose? The procession is
organize by ‘Bortherhood.’ They are dressed in penitential robes, and, with few
exceptions, hoods. They are Catholic persons organized that have a purpose of
performing public acts of religious observance. In this case, the Passion and
death of Jesus Christ.
8. What happens during Semana Santa? People go to a festival and celebrate Jesus
Christ and Easter.
9. Who are Nazarenos and how are they dressed? The Nazarenos are a Brotherhood of
San Esteban. The are dresses in long blue gowns and white gloves. They can only see
through two small wholes through there pointy blue hat.
10. What is at the beginning of the processions? In the middle? A great cross is carried
at the beginning of each procession it is said to ‘opens the way.’ A number of people
dressed in a habit and with the distinctive pointed hood are holding long wax candles
and marching in silence. After that a group of altar boys dressed in vestments come
after.
11. What is a Paso? They are at the center of each procession. There is an image or
set of images set a top of a movable float.
12. What are 3 possible pasos? How old are some of them? The first one is the
Passion, the second one is the image of Christ and the third one is Virgin Mary. The
oldest surviving’s were carved in the 16th century.
13. Who are costaleros and what do they do? A team of men called the ‘costaleros’,
supports the beams, on the float, upon their shoulders and necks and they lift, move
and lower the ‘paso’. As they are all inside the structure and hidden from the
external view by a curtain, the ‘paso’ seems to move by itself.
14. What is the traditional dress of women for this? for men?
Headdress, looks like a cloth that they put on there heads.
15. How do people behave as the processions go past? The
processions attract a huge following throughout the city. The
whole procession is traditionally watched in silence. The crowd
behaves normally while ‘Nazarenos’ are marching and they turn
3. Semana Santa Webquest
to a respectful silence when the images pass.
Look at the various photographs/slide shows at these 2 sites to see more:
http://semanasantaonline.com/
http://gospain.about.com/od/semanasantaeaster/ss/semana_santa_3.htm
16. What is your impression and why? (3-4 thoughtful sentences with insight) The
Semana Santa seems to attract a lot of people. It seems to be and organized event
with many parts to it. They also have beautiful images and sculptures of Jesus
Christ and Virgin Mary. Seem to be a beautiful festival.
Children and Easter
Read at this website, then answer the following questions.
http://pbskids.org/zoom/activities/do/cascarones.html
17. What are cascarones? A Mexican dish. They are confetti Filled eggs. It is a tradition
to make these ‘cascarones’ during a Carnival which is held every year.
18. In which countries are they played with? Mexico as well as other parts of the world
like Spain and even in the southwest of the United States.
19. How are you to break them? On the top of the head poke a hole with a thumbtack
and make a hole about the size of a dime on the bottom of the egg. Tap the end on
a table and break the yolk in the egg with a thumbtack. Shake the inside of the egg
into a bowl and save them for scrambled eggs. Wash the egg and dry it. Decorate
the egg with egg dye or markers, then use a spoon to fill the egg with confetti. Cover
up the whole with some tissue paper.
20. Why do you break them? It is a tradition. You are going to chase your friend and
shower them with confetti by breaking the egg over their heads. It is said that you
are “Showered with good fortune” if the egg is broken over your head.
