Semana Santa in Antequera 2024

The air thickens, heavy with the scent of incense and melting wax. The rhythmic beat of a distant drum echoes through the ancient streets, a sound that has become deeply familiar, almost a part of my own heartbeat during this time of year.

For the fourth time, I've had the profound privilege of immersing myself in Semana Santa here in Antequera.

Every year, Holy Week transforms this beautiful Andalusian town. It's a spectacle of faith, tradition, and raw human emotion that unfolds day and night. And every year, I try to capture not just the sights – the ornate tronos (thrones) carried aloft, the pointed hoods of the Nazarenos moving in solemn procession, the flickering candlelight dancing on centuries-old stone – but the feeling.

Returning for the fourth year brings a sense of comfortable familiarity, yet the experience never loses its power. Perhaps familiarity allows me to see deeper, to notice the smaller moments.