Saturday, March 30, 2002 08:30
Weather: Blue skies
Location: Hostal Delvi, Madrid

Paul finally showed up around midnight. I´d given up waiting inside and went down to see if he was lost in the square. There seemed to be a lot of police activity around.

Then, off to my left down the narrow Nuñez de Arce, I saw a police van approaching with 6 horsemen in full Guards regalia behind: prettily prancing (but little) horses, shining metal helmets with plumes, red jackets with epaulets and shiny gold buttons. It was a Good Friday procession, and it went right past the front of the hostal.

Immediately behind the horsement went the unluckiest members of the procession: 3 city street cleaners pushing a wheeled cart (for collection of said pretty horses´ excrement). Some distance after the advance guard came the bulk of the procession: a crossbearer; twelve servers in white cassocks, their heads covered with black felt hoods, holding long candles; the priest, in white, walking backwards half of the time, directing the movements of; the float, covered in red roses with a glass casket on top bearing the body of Jesus; then a 50-piece brass band in fancy black uniforms with dark trim, playing a funerial march; another float, this one bearing the Virgin Mary with a long flowing purple royal cloak; and finally, the parishioners, many of them carrying candles.

Paul and I watched them all go by (for he had arrived shortly after the horse guard) and then went for a drink.
posted by Tom at 8:48 AM | link |