International passion for Riogordo’s Holy Week tradition

Riogordo’s Passion play (El Paso) takes place on Good Friday, 3 April, and on Saturday 4 April at the Axarquía town’s specially designed outdoor theatre, El Calvario. Around 600 local residents will be taking part in the tradition which recreates the life, passion and death of Jesus Christ in 17 scenes.

This year El Paso de Riogordo is celebrating its 75th anniversary and, since it started in 1951, the town has won local, national and international awards; it is recognised as being of special tourist interest by the Andalusian regional government and Spain’s national government.

As Riogordo’s foreign community has grown, taking part in the Holy Week tradition has also become a way of meeting locals and integrating into life in the town for newcomers.

SUR in English has spoken to many of them over the years to find out why they are keen to take part and what it means to them and this year is no different.

Silke González León is originally from Germany and has been living in Riogordo for almost a year, having lived for some years in Salobreña on Granada province’s Costa Tropical and before that in Chile.

Silke has already integrated into life in the town and her artwork was used on this year’s Molienda (olive harvest festival) poster.

“It was a very powerful experience to see how a small town celebrates the end of the olive harvest with such enthusiasm and heartfelt passion,” she says.

Now, Silke is “participating for the first time in El Paso” where she will be playing the role of a woman from the village and she is looking forward to being given her costume as the rehearsals progress.

Silke told SUR in English that it’s “very important” for her to participate in El Paso: “Now I live here in Riogordo, I want to be part of this town and its community, which I perceive as very strong and harmonious. I find it fascinating that around 600 people from the town are participating in this theatre project.”

Having taught drama at secondary school in Germany and worked with independent theatre groups, Silke says, “That’s why I’m so interested in seeing how the town comes together through this theatre project, which is something new for me, but for most is a long and deeply rooted tradition. I find it very exciting.”

It’s not just the resident foreign community that is interested in the play; as cultural connections with the town expand thanks to the different nationalities living there, it has started to attract more and more visitors from around the world.

This year six actors from the Valkeakoski city theatre in Finland are also participating in El Paso thanks to an Erasmus+ exchange between the theatre and Riogordo’s Augmenters cultural association.

The association’s founder, Kristian Kaarna, who lives in Riogordo but is originally from Finland, explained that while “normally participants have to be from Riogordo” the town hall has “changed the rules a little” to allow the group to participate as it recognises the importance of cultural exchange programmes like Erasmus+.

The group arrives on Wednesday 1 April, in time for a dress rehearsal. They will watch the performance on Good Friday to get the full picture, before participating, in costume, on Saturday.

One of the actors, Kristiina Laurila, told SUR in English that she is “very excited” to be taking part as El Paso has similarities with a centuries-old religious festival, Helkajuhla (Helka Festival), which takes place in her hometown of Ritvala, Valkeakoski, on Whit Sunday.

“We know what it takes from the village to get this festival done,” said Kristiina. El Paso starts at 5pm on both Good Friday, 3 April and Saturday 4 April.

www.elpasoderiogordo.es/en