May 11-15 is the San Isidro festival in Madrid. Other than knowing that San Isidro is Madrid's patron saint and having found this extensive schedule of events, I am not sure what the details are regarding this festival. But, I was able to catch the kickoff parade in Sol this evening - it was a little bit different :). I've never seen dancing giants before...
A few of the gigantes making their way into Sol.
A cabezudo walked right by me, so he got his picture taken :).
The gigantes men lined up to do a dance.
The gigantes women lined up to dance.
I think I surprised him...
A few members of one of the bands taking a break.
Right before those of us taking photos were shooed
out so they could begin the dance.
As you may recall from some of my previous posts, it's been a battle to really get into a focused "zone" while studying Spanish. Probably some of that is just my rusty study habits that were pretty much shelved after I was handed my degree however many years ago - ten(ish)? Wow.
Anyways, I'm not sure what the difference is from the focus level I was able to achieve working on projects in the corporate world compared to studying a second language. It's as if I've had to learn how to enter the "zone" all over again. I won't bore you with the details, but the bottom line is that is seems to be coming along - which is encouraging.
Ok, I'll give you one detail - since it was originally the goal of this post :). About a month ago, my tutor gave me a CD - to help me study Spanish :). It turned out to be classic Spanish guitar music.
Now, I focus/study best when it's quiet. Which is, for the most part, an unrealistic expectation in a city this large. So, the next most effective option is to listen to classical music while studying - no words distracting me, good to go :).
And I recently heard about this guy (below). He's apparently a pretty big deal in the classical guitar world as well.
I guess my tutor was right :). Anyways, it's nice to be able to focus when studying since it directly affects my ability to speak, comprehend, and read. So, thanks for praying for that - if you have been :).
So, we're in Spain, therefore soccer (fútbol) is a huge deal. I kind of enjoy watching fútbol every once in a while - I don't know much about it - but I'm learning.
This week, the Real Madrid fútbol team defeated Barcelona to win the Copa del Ray! Which, if I'm understanding it correctly, is essentially the Spanish national championship. And, since Real Madrid and Barcelona are pretty huge rivals, it was an even bigger deal :).
After winning a game like this, there's usually a huge celebration in Plaza de Cibeles. Erin talked me into going down there to check it out, and I'm glad she did! We mostly just wandered around in amazement, but it was neat to be there!
Here's some pictures I took a couple months ago of this area. See how it looks kind of peaceful? It's not actually, because there's a lot of traffic. But it REALLY was not peaceful the other night!
And, you can witness the jubilation of this victory on video, if you're interested :).
This week is Semanta Santa - holy week. In Spain, holy week is marked by processionals in which effigies of Jesus, Mary, and/or various saints are carried out of their respective churches and taken through the streets. I had heard of these, but was not sure what exactly to expect when Erin, Nick, and I went to watch the first one.
From a cultural standpoint, it was really interesting to watch. From a ministry/spiritual standpoint, it's been challenging to process. I wanted to/did jump to conclusions, which may or may not have been accurate. So, here's a couple things I've been chewing on:
In the hearts and minds of the people attending and participating, is this an act driven solely by tradition or is there a spiritual element involved?
If there is a spiritual element involved, do people think by performing these processions that they have earned favor with God or what is their motivation for doing it?
What impact, if any, does this have on people's daily lives?
I came away from it so thankful for the simple, yet profound truth of the Gospel of grace that all people can have a relationship with God through the person and work of Jesus.
It stands as a stark contrast to all religions that essentially say you can/have to earn favor with God through following rules, rituals, traditions, and whatever else they come up with. Which is a total affront to Jesus. It's basically saying, "Jesus, I know You died on the cross, but I don't actually think You took care of it all. Therefore, I will step in and take care of it myself." Yikes - bold move, probably not the best idea.
So, as I was contemplating these things, the song "Give Me Jesus" just popped into my mind. It's interesting, because I can't remember the last time I actually heard this song. But it was kind of a breath of fresh air.
Sadly, I can't use it in the video due to copyright, but if you want the effect I was going for just play "Give Me Jesus" by Fernando Ortega while you watch. Otherwise, enjoy the pictures :).
One of the neat things about Semana Santa is that people seem to be more open to spiritual discussion. So, please be praying for those conversations to happen, as well as for wisdom and discernment on our part. Also, there will be more processions later this week. They start up again on Wednesday and go through Sunday, so those would be good times to pray also.
Toledo is about 70 kilometers south of Madrid and is a popular day trip destination. This week, Erin, Nick, and I headed down there to check it out. Toledo is pretty well known for it's steel and marzipan (also plenty of other things), so I've been quite excited to take a look :).
I drew Erin's name this week as my person to pray for, so we hung out a little bit tonight and she shared her prayer requests. We got some Chinese food, then headed to Plaza de Dos de Mayo for a little picnic.
The plazas are typically quite busy at night, so it's entertaining to watch people :). Tonight we had front row seats to a soccer game. These guys had some amazing skills, it was pretty fun.
We didn't know who was on what team.
But they had some great footwork going.
I would fall flat on my face and break all my teeth if I tried some of that :).
So, we were content to just watch. And take pictures. And eat Chinese food.
And talk about prayer requests :).
