The penitent has a penance.
Penitent is a word that can be used as a noun or as an adjective, always linked to what is related to penitence . In order to discover the etymological origin of the term, we will have to go to Latin since it derives from paenitens , a word that in turn emanates from the verb paenitere (translatable as "repent" ).
It is essential to know, therefore, what penance is to understand the meaning of penitent. Penance is the compunction or remorse that is felt after doing something bad or, for some reason, believing that it was not good to have done it. The concept is also used as a synonym for punishment and, at a religious level, it is the name given to the sacrament that offers forgiveness of sins when they are confessed with pain and under certain conditions.
The penitent individual
Penitent, then, is the adjective that names the subject who has a penance or who carries it out. The penitent is the one who, after evaluating his conscience, repents of his behavior, confesses before a priest and receives penance from him.
Penance, in this sense, allows the satisfaction of sin . It generally consists of an action that is suggested by the priest and that the penitent must carry out to repair the fault committed. After telling the penitent what to do, the priest can absolve him.
In Spain, penitents participate in processions during Holy Week.
The concept and Holy Week
In the same way, we cannot ignore the important use that the term penitent has in Spain . And that is the name given to each of the people who, dressed in the hood and skirt of their brotherhood or brotherhood, accompany the different images that process through the streets of the cities during Holy Week .
The vast majority of these penitents, also known as Nazarenes or Papones , are simply dressed in the aforementioned clothing and carry a candle or banner. However, there are others who, because of a promise they have made, make the journey barefoot or even dragging chains attached to their ankles.
Nor should we forget that, within Holy Week in any corner of Spain , differentiations are established regarding penitents. Thus, there are the following groups:
- Penitents with a cross , who are those who, as their name indicates, carry a penitential cross.
- Penitents with insignia , who are in charge of carrying some of the rods or identification of their brotherhood during the processional exit.
- Penitents of the line , who are those who make the journey along the pass carrying a lit candle or candle.
To all this we must add that, however, in Andalusia the terms Nazarenes and penitents are used to name different types of brothers, differing fundamentally by how they wear the hood.
Penitentes as a place or route
Los Penitentes , on the other hand, is the name of a small town located in Mendoza , a province of the Argentine Republic . In this town there is a famous ski slope of about three hundred hectares.
In Spain , finally, the Route of the Penitents is the name given to a journey of motorcyclists who travel nearly eight hundred kilometers in the same day.