What is a Brotherhood of Semana Santa?
The Brotherhoods (hermandad, corporacion, cofradia) are associations of members of the parish who organise themselves to celebrate Semana Santa with processions. Every Brotherhood dedicates itself to a certain scene, e.g. the burial of Christ, the taking of Christ’s body off the cross, the flogging of Christ by Roman soldiers, the judgement of Christ by Pilate, etc. As such, they also perform specific functions during the Semana Santa. For example, the Brotherhood of Death and Resurrection of the Lord will be the one to first announce resurrection on Saturday midnight. And the three grenadier Brotherhoods dedicated to the Virgin will take to the streets on Friday of Pain – the day commemorating the Pain of the Mother. Put together in one procession, they develop the whole story of the Passion before your eyes, in a sequence of frames. There are 28 Brotherhoods in 4 parishes of the maritime district of Valencia. All 28 Brotherhoods have their own distinct uniforms and regalia. Such vari
