The Brotherhoods and Confraternities of Esperanza Macarena meet in Seville
The Brotherhoods and Confraternities of the Macarena Hope will meet in Seville on 7, 8 and 9 June. The event aims to bring together all the brotherhoods and sisterhoods of the world whose titular image is the Virgin of Macarena Hope, with the aim of deepening the relationship between them, seeking to promote their coexistence, the exchange of knowledge and collaboration between them.
In total, almost thirty brotherhoods will visit Seville for this meeting, which is open to all the brothers and sisters who wish to attend. Seville will become a universal meeting point for all those devoted to the Esperanza Macarena.
The meeting
The theme of the meeting is ‘Macarena, Madre de la Esperanza’ (Macarena, Mother of Hope) and there is an extensive programme of activities ranging from visiting the Brotherhood’s Museum to concerts, colloquiums and working groups. In fact, within the framework of the Congress, the premiere of the film about the Brotherhood of Seville will be held.
The Congress will be held in three main venues: the Basílica de la Macarena, the Hogar Virgen de los Reyes and the Real Alcázar of Seville, which will host brotherhoods not only from Spain, but also from further afield, such as Miami and the Philippines.
This is the V Encuentro de Hermanos to be held, as the last one took place in Albacete in 2022. Furthermore, this is the third time that the meeting has taken place in Seville, which continues to consolidate itself as a key meeting place for this type of celebrations, both for its infrastructure and its cultural heritage.
A universal devotion
Although the Esperanza Macarena of Seville is presumably the best known in the world, devotion to this Virgin has spread all over the planet. One of the main brotherhoods is the one based in Madrid, which was founded by a group of Sevillians in 1940. However, it is not the only one in Spain: Almería, Murcia, Castellón, Barcelona… numerous Spanish cities have their own version of the statue. However, it is not only a national devotion; places such as Miami and the Philippines have their own Virgins. It is worth mentioning cities such as Bogotá, where the Virgin is the patron saint of bullfighters. In short, it is a shared devotion, which will find a meeting place in Seville in 2024.
