The Holy Week it is a highly spiritual period in the world. It is a time to connect with our interior and to thank and pray to God.
Dioceses, parishes and the believing community celebrate Holy Week in numerous countries around the world, with masses, prayers and other activities that link art, culture and religion.
Holy Week commemorates the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. It is an intense liturgical activity within the various Christian churches.
This year, Holy Week is celebrated from the 10th, on Palm Sunday and ends on Resurrection Sunday.
- Although its celebration usually begins in various places on the previous Friday (Friday of Sorrows) and is considered part of it on Easter Sunday.
La Holy Week in Latin American nations
Holy Week is a worldwide phenomenon that is celebrated in different territories in very different ways.
Latin America is no exception, especially as it is a territory in which numerous beliefs and religions predominate, one of the most widespread being Catholic.
And it is that Latin America also has deep roots in popular traditions during Holy Week, always uniting the Catholic celebration with the impulse of culture and art, all combined with the customs of the countries of the Latin American continent.
Some of the Holy Week traditions in Latin America are rated among the most colorful in the world.
4 Very popular religious traditions
Let's see some examples:
1- Popayán Celebration, Colombia
The biggest celebration of Holy Week is that of the Colombian city Popayán, declared Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.
In this ceremony, the death of Jesus is recreated, represented through a skeleton of German origin from the XNUMXth century together with angels carrying hammers and chisels.
2- The procession of silence, in San Luis de Potosí, Mexico
The Procession of Silence in San Luis Potosí has been celebrated since 1954, and is without a doubt, the most important annual event of Holy Week at the state and national level.
It is already considered Cultural Heritage of the Potosino State since 2013 and is on its way to UNESCO to be Cultural Heritage of Humanity at an international level, according to sources from that locality.
3- The Dragging of Caudas in Quito, Ecuador
The Arrastre de Caudas has been celebrated since the XNUMXth century, when in funeral ceremonies honors were paid to the generals of the Roman army who had fallen in battle.
Later the ritual was accepted by the Catholic Church and adapted to commemorate the death of Jesus and celebrate his triumph over it.
4- The Nazarene of San Pablo, Venezuela
The tradition of the Nazarene of San Pablo began at the end of 1596 and was finally consecrated in 1674 as the central figure of the Main Chapel of Caracas.
Devotees to this image celebrate Easter next to the sacred image of El Nazareno with purple robes.
