In the sixties there was a slogan coined by the Spanish Tourist Board – ‘Spain is Different’. Forty years on, thankfully, it remains true.While the coastal Spain seen by millions of tourists every year has changed beyond recognition in many areas, in the cities and many small inland villages development has been far slower, and generally we can be thankful for that.
Antonio Banderas describes the Spanish Easter processions as a fiesta of anti-globalisationTourism and housing chiefs are only now realising the error of their ways with the rapid overcrowding of the coasts, and the ever more apparent corruption and personal gain which in many cases went hand in hand.
The other ‘real Spain’ however comes to the fore at certain times, and none more so than during the dramatic Easter processions. The preparations carried out all year by the brotherhoods involved, the sheer effort and devotion of those who carry their Virgin or Christ for many hours through the streets, and the thousands who turn out to watch the spectacle, are evidence that the tourist slogan from the sixties still rings true today.
Antonio Banderas was in his native Málaga this year again to take part as the Mayordomo in the parade of the Virgen de Lágirmas y Favores – the Virgin of Tears and Favours. He made some interesting comments this year, describing Easter in Málaga as an anti-globalisation fiesta. He said it was a time that the Spanish people reveal themselves a little bit more than usual.
Speaking to the EFE news agency the actor said that the Church which interested him was the one which had always been at service to the poor and the people in need. ‘This message interests me’, he said.
"The Church which interests me is the one which has always been at service to the poor and the people in need" As fate would have it, only a couple of days after Banderas’s comments, the Cardinal Archbishop of Madrid, Antonio Rouco Varela, ordered that the parish church of San Carlos Borromeo, in the city’s Vallecas district be closed down.
The three priests based in the church, one of them known as the Red Priest because of his political views, are well known for helping the poor, ex convicts and drug addicts, in fact anyone who walks in their door.The Church authorities however do not it seems approve of such behaviour of taking mass in civilian clothes and closure is ordered.For now the parish remains defiant and promises its parishioners a service on Easter Sunday.
‘There is so much to celebrate’, said one of the priests, Javier Baeza, ‘The hope which follows from pain and injustice’.It’s a pity that the survival of such a parish does not depend on Antonio Banderas instead of the Cardinal. Sometimes you have to live away from your home to really appreciate it on your return. May Easter long remain the grand festival it is on the streets of Spain, and may Spain long remain different in these times of globalisation