Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Cristo de los Gitanos: Give your faith 3 hours please!!

Todays procession is one of the most processions of Granada. Its the procession of Jesus of the gypsys , it takes place every year in the gypsy neighborhood "Sacromonte". Sacromonte is a mountain that derives from cuesta del Chapiz -the route to Albayzin- and although the itinerary of the procession was relatively long but it was soooooooo full of people that it was so disgusting!!!
What happened is that Barcelona - Real Madrid game ended and people got out of the bars and went to the procession. Not only that but they brought with them there liquor , beverages and marijuana. It was a total botellon instead of a religious act , an act that I have longed for because everyone said that the gypsys are faithful and they love Jesus and Virgin Mary way much more than all other people.


Look how crowded was the street!! Sadoof and I kept climbing up the mountain looking for a an empty spot , and the further we went the later we were to see the procession , but we did not care , we wanted to live the experience anyway, so we found a spot and sat. A group of Spanish guys and girls stuffed themselves next to us and started smoking marijuana ,,, that until a neighbor from above started pouring Vodka on us!!! Why is that? how impolite is that in the passions week!!!
I loved this scene so I took this so blurry picture. Its of a man sleeping on the side walk with his two kids sleeping on his lap waiting for the statue if Jesus and Virgin Mary to pass. They woke up happily when the procession arrived ,,, I think there are still some religious Spanish ,, alahmdullilah
This is the processions leader who guides the costaleros to where they should head .
The statue of Jesus.
The statue of Virgin Mary when it first showed up in the horizon ,,,, The gypsy's got so emotional when they saw her. They looked to the audience in disgust -and they have all right to do so - because the audience was mainly drunk and indifferent (I just wonder why did not they just go their Discotheques and leave this ''show'' for the believeres?!!) I felt deeply insulted of how the procession turned to be at last ,,, as a believer I did not want those people turning a religious assembly into a joke , but what can I do?!!

But in spite of all that I spent some great time , I ate potato on the side walk , I got to meet some nice people , I got home at 6 o'clock in the morning (never been out that late!) and I got to see Alhambra with its lights totally off ,,, How come its also breathtaking when its totally black?

It was some magical night ,,, alhamduillah

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