Just a few moments after we checked in at Hotel Inglaterra, we walked about three blocks to the corner near El Corte Inglés. A multitude of people were already lining the street. Yun pala, they were waiting for the procession.
We noticed that some people had their hands extended, as if they were asking for something—almost like begging. Nakigaya kami. I also extended my right hand and kept it there. Some of the hooded penitents in the procession were giving out candies. I even joked, parang trick or treat. But little did I know that what people were really hoping to receive was a stampita.
My heart filled with joy when someone finally placed a small stampita in my hand. I felt like a little girl again—parang batang nakahingi ng candy.
From then on, every procession we watched, we extended our hands. We considered it a blessing to receive even one.
During the processions, the Nazarenos, with covered bodies, heads, and faces, sometimes hand out stampitas, small devotional printed cards, of the pasos carried by their brotherhood, called confradia.
It’s a hundreds-year-old tradition which means:
- The stampita serves as a small, portable reminder of faith something you can keep in a wallet, prayer book, or home.
2. Each card often represents a specific confradía, linking the recipient to that group’s spiritual identity and the image they venerate.
3. Giving them out is a quiet way of spreading devotion and inviting others into the spiritual meaning of the procession.
4. For visitors, it’s also a keepsake, but unlike a typical souvenir, it carries religious significance and is often treated respectfully.
It’s not a universal or formal requirement of the procession, but rather a customary gesture you’ll often see, especially among younger participants or certain brotherhoods.
If you’re watching the procession and receive one, it’s generally understood as a small blessing or token of goodwill.
I counted the total number of stampitas I received during the Semana Santa processions in Seville, I got more than twenty. Thank you.
