One of the busiest holidays of the year in Mexico is the religious time known as Semana Santa, or Holy Week.
By Sue Bell
Mexico is a country of celebrations and festivals. In February, we were treated to the days-long celebration that is Carnaval, and it was a great time all around. Next up on the calendar is one of the busiest celebrations of the year: the period known as Semana Santa and Semana Pascua, the week before Easter and the week following it.
While Carnaval marked the start of the solemn religious season of Lent in the Christian calendar, Easter marks the end of solemnity and the start of a period of celebration and rebirth. Semana Santa, or Holy Week, officially starts on Palm Sunday, which falls on March 24th this year
Semana Santa celebrations are taken very seriously across Mexico. The country has 90,224,559 Catholics, which is the world’s second largest number of Catholics, surpassed only by Brazil. More than half of Mexicans are Catholic, so Semana Santa is a very important holiday in Mexico. It is common in many cities and towns across the country for the community to hold parades, stage elaborate processions or even re-enactments of what is known as the “Passion of Christ” or “La Via Crucis” (The Way of the Cross). Participants dress in period costume and re-enact the procession of Jesus as he carried his cross from his sentencing by Pontius Pilot, through to the hill where he was crucified, to his death and entombment and eventually his resurrection.
For Christians celebrating Holy Week, this is the day that Jesus was welcomed with palm fronds as he triumphantly re-entered the city of Jerusalem after 6 weeks of fasting in the desert. Palm branches are distributed to the faithful at mass on Palm Sunday and you will see many flowers, crosses and other decorative pieces created from the palm fronds.
Following Palm Sunday, there is a celebration in memory of the Last Supper and the washing of the disciples’ feet on Thursday evening. On Good Friday, the solemn La Via Crucis, or Way of the Cross, is followed by a crucifixion memorial service. Glory Saturday is a thoughtful and reflective time where there is to be no celebration or festivity. Finally, the celebration of the resurrection occurs on Easter Sunday morning.
I was in Todos Santos a few years ago and watched the procession through the streets as participants carried the cross in silence. It was quite moving. San Luis Potosí, Queretaro, and Taxco, in Guerrero have some of the most well known and spectacular events. If you get a chance to visit Sal Luis Potosí, in particular, on Good Friday, the Procession of Silence is a several hour event that goes from 8pm to midnight. In Iztapalapa in Mexico City, around two million people gather each year to witness the reenactment of the passion and death of Jesus. This production is so big and requires so much preparation that the actors and organizers prepare months in advance.
According to local La Paz resident, Sissi Drake, La Via Crucis in La Paz consists of a number of stations through out the city where people stop to pray on Good Friday, each representing a particular segment of the way of the cross. The stops include the churches of San Jose del Esterito, the Santuario de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe in El Centro, San Juan de Los Lagos near the Tránsito building, and San Juan Bosco near INDECO.
Not only is Semana Santa a significant religious period, but both it and the week that follows Easter, Semana Pascua, are a holiday for students from schools, a time when offices are closed for many civil servants, and a time that many business shut down as well. Other than in tourism related industry, very little business gets done during this two week period as many people take their annual holidays during this time.
During Semana Santa, spending time with family at the beach is a particular focus, with visitors from many parts of mainland Mexico coming to oceanside locations to spend their holiday. In fact, La Paz and all of its beaches are typically packed for the entire two weeks with large, extended family groups celebrating with barbecues on the beach and many camping on the beach for multiple days. In addition to the Mexican celebrations, there will be an influx of Canadian and American tourists to the area as well, as families take advantage of their spring break from school to get away from the cold. It is going to be a busy time!
In spite of the party atmosphere on the beaches, it is good to be aware that Semana Santa is a religious holiday, and the processions and celebrations around the city are a solemn reminder that this is Holy Week. If you happen across one of these processions or celebrations, be respectful and take the time to watch this ages-old tradition.
The city police have announced that their numbers will be reinforced by state and federal policing institutions to help direct traffic, monitor over crowding, and to ensure safety, security and peace during this period.
