Six tons of rosemary, the "carpet of hope": "It has come super fresh, very green due to the rain"

In Málaga, the air is already filled with the scent of "fresh and green" rosemary near the headquarters of El Paso y la Esperanza. Up to six tons of this plant will form the traditional "carpet" next to the Virgin in the downtown streets, leaving at her mercy the sprigs distributed by the "rosemary altar boys." Every local can approach during the procession, pick them up, and take them home "blessed" on Holy Thursday night, after arduous preparation by a hundred brothers of the archbrotherhood, who "in coexistence" finalize the trimming and distribute it in baskets to various points for replenishment until the procession concludes.

"About 5,000 kilos of rosemary come from the mountains of El Burgo (a town in the Sierra de las Nieves), where the brotherhood obtains some permits from the Junta de Andalucía, and another 1,000 are provided by the City Council of Málaga. We are up all night until the procession ends. We cannot imagine La Esperanza without rosemary, we hope they never take away the tradition, it's quite important," emphasizes Esperanza Gallero, a sister of the brotherhood and responsible for the rosemary, to this newspaper.

Many are involved in ensuring the streets are covered with this rosemary: among them, a hundred brothers involved in its preparation, three organizers, and fifteen people transporting the rosemary, in addition to the girls who carry it in the procession. This is conveyed by Gallero, who also estimates that about "500 baskets" are filled, among "the 20 that are distributed at 25 points" so that none is lacking along the way, allowing replenishment "about every hundred meters."

"It has an amazing scent, this year it came super fresh, very green and the recent rain has made it even bloom," details Beatriz Camarena, a member of the charity board of the brotherhood, who was on the side of the headquarters trimming sprigs along with her brothers from El Paso and La Esperanza.

She also insists on the feeling evoked by participating in the preparation of the rosemary, alongside her brothers from El Paso and La Esperanza and those who join to help. "When the Virgin's throne passes, the rosemary is blessed and all Malagueños can access and take their sprig. For us, it is a very symbolic and personal thing and also, coming to cut it is a small gathering that stays in your memory, in your heart. We share moments, chat, everyone shares something, we laugh and it's really beautiful. Children have been coming from a very young age," she reveals.

"The rosemary when La Esperanza passes"

Just a few hours from now, the brotherhood recalls the phrase that has been repeated in processions for some years: "The rosemary when La Esperanza passes." It means that it should not be picked up or requested until the Virgin has stepped over it, because "it is not blessed," although "traditionally" it was taken without waiting.

"A lady just passed by and they already want to take it, we tell them it's when it passes and is stepped on by her. Although there are people who due to work or some elderly who cannot see it live and do it from their home. In those cases, yes, that sprig of rosemary is offered to them and they pass to the throne room to see our patrons, both the Nazarene of El Paso and the Virgin, and it remains etched in their memory," insists the Charity vocal.

"Little by little I believe we are achieving something and although we already know that there are a lot of people in the streets on Holy Thursday and sometimes access is difficult, it is true that you say the word 'rosemary' and people immediately make way, there is no problem," emphasizes Gallero.

The story of a blessed rosemary

The origin of the use of rosemary in the Archbrotherhood of El Paso and La Esperanza dates back to 1931, following the burning of convents on May 11 and the damaged statue of the Virgin, which was moved to Málaga Cathedral awaiting restoration. There, during the 1930s, vigil acts were held until a brother of the brotherhood carpeted the chapel with rosemary, where the Virgin of La Esperanza was located. This marked the beginning of the tradition, materialized during the procession of 1940. At that time, the image was taken to the streets, this time, covered under the scent of the plant.