Spain: Corpus Christi Procession

Submitted by Blanca Sandoval on the 2017 summer session program in Granada, Spain sponsored by the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures…

It was a really nice experience to witness a little bit of what the Corpus Christi festivities is about. This past Thursday, I got to see the procession of the Corpus Christi celebration on one of the main roads of Granada, Reyes Católicos. It was a very neat and different procession from what I was expecting because I have seen other Catholic processions before. My favorite part of the entire procession was when the platform with the “Santísimo” was passing right in front of me. It really surprised me to see how big and beautiful the silver platform was, and to know that it was being carried by men instead of having a trailer tow the platform was amazing because I know it must have been very heavy.

Platform outside of Cathedral in Granada

A few minutes after the platform passed by, I decided that I wanted to head over to the  Cathedral to see what they had inside. As soon as I arrived, the platform was entering the Cathedral again. I headed inside and I noticed that there was already a lot of people standing around inside. As I reached the front, I got to witness a beautiful moment when the bishop raised “El santísimo” and rose petals began to fall from the ceiling. It looked so magical to me. This was a very different experience for me and I am glad that this popular festivity fell in the month of June this year so I was able to get a really good feel of the culture of Granada.

One of the altars in the streets of Granada on the day of Corpus Christi