Greetings and blessings to everyone on this holiest of holy days, remembering the day that Jesus was crucified and died for the sins of the world. This entire week, Semana Santa (holy week) is a holiday and there are many events related to the churches in recognition of the significance of this week. Last night the local bishop and a group of priests went to the jail to wash the feet of the prisoners, symbolic for Jesus' washing of the feet of his diciples. Today was a reenactment of the procession of Jesus through the streets of Jeruselum to the location where he was crucified. The procession started at the Catholic church at 7 a.m. and went throuout most of the streets in our neighborhood, stopping at 14 locations for various ceremonies, reading from the Gospel of John. It finally made it back to the church grounds around 10:00 for the reading of the remainder of the Gospel and reenactment of putting Jesus on the cross and later in the tomb. Several of the older kids followed the procession the entire way, while most of the others joined in when it passed our house, near the end.
This was a very moving and symbolic procession and ceremony which they do every year. Today is the big day for holy week here, recognizing that it was Jesus' death on the cross that freed all believers from our sins. Easter Sunday is the day for celebrating the resurrection with parties and dinners, but today just about the whole country is closed down for a somber day of reflection and giving thanks. This is a 4 minute video of the end of the procession and crucifixion. I will post some photos a little later.
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