A Paso (

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 Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

: "Episode of the Passion of Christ") is an elaborate float made for religious processions. They are carried by porters on staves, like a

litter Litter consists of waste products that have been discarded incorrectly, without consent, at an unsuitable location. Litter can also be used as a verb; to litter means to drop and leave objects, often man-made, such as aluminum cans, paper cups, ...

sedan chair The litter is a class of wheelless vehicles, a type of human-powered transport, for the transport of people. Smaller litters may take the form of open chairs or beds carried by two or more carriers, some being enclosed for protection from the e ...

, and are usually followed or escorted by a band. Some have long skirts that cover the bearers entirely, giving the impression that the statue is floating on its own power. The porters are called ''costaleros'', ''cargadores'' or ''portadores'' and their leader is called a ''capataz'' ("Foreman" or "Head Man"). The ''capataz'' sets the ''chicotá'', the period of time between a paso being lifted and set down again; the ''costaleros'' cannot pick up or set down the ''paso'' except by his leave. This is signalled by the ''llamador'' ("crier"), a knocker on the front of the float. During ''Semana Santa'' ("

Holy Week Holy Week ( la, Hebdomada Sancta or , ; grc, Ἁγία καὶ Μεγάλη Ἑβδομάς, translit=Hagia kai Megale Hebdomas, lit=Holy and Great Week) is the most sacred week in the liturgical year in Christianity. In Eastern Churches, w ...

", the week preceding

Easter Sunday Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the ''Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...

) the custom is to make ''pasos'' adorned with large wooden statues of

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, names and titles), was ...

, the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...

saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...

s and biblical personalities from the Passion. In Italy smaller carried floats are known as ''macchine a spalla''. Soundscape and the Built Environment Jian Kang, Brigitte Schulte-Fortkamp - 2018 - 1482226324 Page 230 ... the intangible cultural heritage has been updated with the inclusion of four Italian folk festivals that belong to the network of “celebration of big shoulder-borne processional structures” (Le Feste delle grandi macchine a spalla) (Nardi, 2013). In the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, the term for shoulder-borne floats and palanquins is ''andas''. Carriages for larger, life-sized icons have wheels and are instead called ''carrozas''. Both types may carry small icons and are borne or pulled by at least two people; they may have lighting fixtures for nighttime or dawn processions, with some having canopies above the saint.

References

{{reflist
Seville's Holy Week Rituals Draw In an Outsider
(New York Times: March 26th, 2006) Spanish_culture Catholicism in Spain Catholic Church in Spain Christianity in Portugal