A FIESTA brotherhood in Córdoba has expelled a female member who kissed another girl during the Good Friday parade.
The Hermandad del Descendimiento de Córdoba ('Brotherhood of the Descent of Córdoba'), one of the troops in the Easter processions, says it is not the fact that the person she kissed was of the same gender, but the fact she did it at all during what was supposed to be a solemn, religious parade mourning the crucifixion of Christ.
And it was just one 'offence' among many others, including 'taking selfies and talking on her mobile phone' during the procession and in full costume.
“Participating in parades of this nature involves accepting a series of rules on how to behave, and these unfortunate incidences do not reflect the seriousness of the rest of the Brothers involved in the cortège who carried out their Season of Penitence in the solemn and composed manner required,” the fiesta group says, whilst apologising 'for any offence that may have been caused'.
Even non-religious fiesta processions involve certain codes of conduct – openly waving at friends and relatives in the audience, playing the fool, texting or other out-of-place actions are considered disrespectful to other members, to the fiesta itself and to spectators.
Although they appear to be full of carefree and colourful abandon, fiesta processions in Spain are tightly controlled, choreographed and coordinated, rather like a theatrical production, since those in costume are playing a part.
Marching out of step or other mistakes are as shameful as forgetting one's lines on stage; deliberately acting out of the 'character' being fleshed out is seen as sabotage and spoiling it for the rest of the procession.
Although full-on snogging, talking on phones, taking selfies, drinking alcohol, chatting, laughing and smoking in full costume are fine backstage – and frequent – once the march begins, everything other than the job in hand must stop straight away.
