Malaga - Spanish star Antonio Banderas returned to his home city to celebrate Holy Week and join the Catholic processions in the lead-up to Easter.
The Hollywood star lives in Los Angeles, but tries to return home to Malaga each year for the most important festival in the Catholic calendar.
Banderas likes to return to his church brotherhood “Tears and Favours” to take part in the traditional marches that take place throughout Spanish towns and cities to mark Holy Week.
He was pictured taking photos with his fellow penitents before the start of the Palm Sunday procession of Saint Mary of Tears and Favours in Malaga.
The haunting processions take place each Easter in Spain, with penitents wearing gowns and conical hoods and carrying life-sized effigies of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary through city streets, accompanied by dramatic drum beats and mournful music.
While Malaga is a popular city to watch the processions, particularly because of its famous star, by far the most visited city for the Catholic celebration is Seville, in Andalucia, where the city’s medieval centre is packed with faithful penitents from different church brotherhoods.
Tourists line the streets as scheduled processions weave their way through the city from early morning until late at night.
Each cofradia (brotherhood) is distinguished by the colour of its robes. The masks were historically to provide anonymity for those looking to perform penance.
In soaring temperatures, particularly in southern Spain, the faithful struggle under their heavy costumes, swaying as they carry huge floats. Some even walk barefoot.
There are more than 50 church brotherhoods in Seville, some dating as far back as the 13th century.
Each carries a statue of Jesus, depicting him in a scene from the Bible, during its procession.
The Virgin Mary is always pictured as being in mourning for her son.
Some processions are noisy affairs, with bands accompanying the penitents, but one of the most famous is El Silencio, which does not have any musical accompaniment.
Up to a million visitors head to Seville for Holy Week (known as Semana Santa in Spanish), collecting programmes for each of the processions and following them through the city.
While Seville is the most famous place to visit in Spain, it is followed closely by Malaga and Toledo.
In Latin America, where the Catholic processions are also an important festival on the calendar, the city most famous for colourful processions is Antigua, the former capital of Guatemala. – Daily Mail