A ''nazareno'' (nazarene) is a member of a brotherhood which performs penance rites during Holy Week in Spain (and in some Latin American countries such as Colombia and Guatemala). They parade wearing the clothing that conforms to the rules of the brotherhood. The most common term in use is Nazarenes, but in some regions they are known as capuchones (

hoodie A hoodie is a type of sweatshirt with a hood that, when worn up, covers most of the head and neck, and sometimes the face. The most common 'pullover' style hoodies often include a single large knife pocket or muff on the lower front, whil ...

s), or mozorros ( lads) or some variation of implying “ worthy of punishment”

Tronos

Teams of several dozen lightly clad members will be hidden beneath drapery of the heavy platform (typically 1 – 5 tonnes ]) bearing an Throne, enthroned and splendid icons that are the centrepiece of most parades (See illustration above). Injuries affect some 10% of bearers. The most common injuries derived from the effort of carrying a throne at Easter are reportedly "shoulder or ankle tendinitis, muscle tears, frozen shoulder or ligament damage"

Nomenclature

The name "Nazarene" derives the town of Galilee, where Jesus spent most of his life, according to the Bible. Although Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Judea, and spent a brief period of childhood in Egypt, he soon settled with his father Joseph and his mother Mary in the small town of Nazareth. It is important in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

to differentiate the nazarene (with lowercase letters) from the Nazarene (with an initial capital). The first relates to members of ''Cofradías'' and the second is reserved for the contemporary companions of

Jesus of Nazareth Jesus ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the central figure of Christianity, the world's largest religi ...

, especially those that helped him bear his cross during his final humiliation.

Clothing insignia

Since the 16th century there were processions of brothers who carried insignia similar to the current fraternity

banner A banner can be a flag or another piece of cloth bearing a symbol, logo, slogan or another message. A flag whose design is the same as the shield in a coat of arms (but usually in a square or rectangular shape) is called a banner of arms. Also, ...

scroll A scroll (from the Old French ''escroe'' or ''escroue''), also known as a roll, is a roll of papyrus, parchment, or paper containing writing. Structure A scroll is usually partitioned into pages, which are sometimes separate sheets of papyru ...

s and Christian

religious symbol A religious symbol is an iconic representation intended to represent a specific religion, or a specific concept within a given religion. Religious symbols have been used in the military in many countries, such as the United States military chap ...

s They dress in a

Thawb A thawb, also known as a dishdashah or a kandura in other varieties of Arabic, is a garment traditionally worn by men in the Arab world. It is a long-sleeved, ankle-length robe that has regional variations in name and style. It can be worn in f ...

secured at the waist by rope belt or a simple girdle, on their heads a pointed

Capirote A capirote is a Christianity, Christian pointed hat of conical form that is used in Italy, Spain and Hispanic countries by members of a confraternity of penitents, particularly those of the Catholic Church. It is part of the uniform of such br ...

cap made of a leather cone covered in cotton or linen that extends to obscure the face and neck to ensure anonymity. Similar garb was adapted by the

Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to KKK or Klan, is an American Protestant-led Christian terrorism, Christian extremist, white supremacist, Right-wing terrorism, far-right hate group. It was founded in 1865 during Reconstruction era, ...

in the early 20th century.

Modernity

Modern participants tend to become members of ''Cofradías'' by family tradition rather than from devout religious conviction, motivated by masculine pride in being chosen, fit and capable of enduring the rigorous ordeal of a prolonged street theater performance. Recently (from about 2024) women have been admitted to some ''Cofradías''on the basis that

Mary, Mother of Jesus Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

and

Mary Magdalene Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to crucifixion of Jesus, his cr ...

were recorded as present at the crucifixion and were presumably loyal devotees of Christ

Popular culture

The video game

Blasphemous Blasphemy refers to an insult that shows contempt, disrespect or lack of Reverence (emotion), reverence concerning a deity, an object considered sacred, or something considered Sanctity of life, inviolable. Some religions, especially Abrahamic o ...

depicts a nazareno as the main character and received "generally favorable" ratings, the

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

web reviewer covering several gaming platforms.Metacritic:Latest Critic Reviews
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References