Traditions of Seville
The city of Semana Santa processions, the April Feria and the flamenco dance.
Seville is the capital of Andalusia, a city of orange trees, tiled courtyards and a deep tradition of song, dance and devotion. Its Holy Week and its Feria are among the most visited festivals in Spain. Flamenco, recognised by UNESCO, grew up in the Andalusian south, and Seville remains one of its homes.
Semana Santa and the Feria
In Holy Week, brotherhoods, hermandades, carry carved images of Christ and the Virgin on floats through the streets, preceded by penitents in pointed hoods, and bands. A fortnight after Easter, the April Fair puts up hundreds of striped tents, casetas, where families dance sevillanas, wear flounced dresses and drink sherry.
At the table
Tapas, small plates of jamón, fried fish, tortilla and salmorejo, are shared at the bar. Pestiños, honey-glazed fritters, torrijas, and spiced mantecados are made at Easter and Christmas. Fino and manzanilla, sherry wines, are poured cold. Orange blossom flavours sweets.
Signature traditions of Seville
Also part of it, and being written: Feria de Abril (The April Fair.).
A trail idea for Seville
- Triana Hear flamenco in the old quarter.
- Plaza de España Walk the tiled square.
- Alcázar Walk the gardens.
Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Opening hours, markets and festival dates change; check locally before travelling. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
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Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Flamenco: John Singer Sargent, Public domain, source
- Holy Week in Seville: Sevilla Congress & Convention Bureau, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Sevillanas: Anual, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Tapas: Elemaki, CC BY 3.0, source