Women bear weight of Easter rite in changing Spain

The 50 women supported the weight on wooden ribs under the belly of the float as they inched forward through the city for ten hours on Monday.

A heavy velvet cloth draped over the float left only their white shoes visible to throngs of spectators lining the route.

The parades featuring dozens of people dressed in religious tunics and distinctive pointy hoods have returned this Holy Week after being cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic the past two years.

While religious orders started allowing women to carry floats in Spain's famous Easter processions 30 years ago, female "costaleros"—as float bearers are known—remain a minority who still face resistance.