During Semana Santa (Holy Week) in Mexico processions and passion plays take place all through the country, though different areas celebrate in different ways and certain communities have more elaborate celebrations. Those areas in Mexico where Holy Week is celebrated en grande include: Taxco, Pátzcuaro, Oaxaca and San Cristobal de las Casas.
The celebrations that take place during this week are meant to reenact Jesus’ final days.
Palm Sunday – Domingo de Ramos
On the Sunday prior to Easter, known as Palm Sunday, the arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem is commemorated. According to the Bible Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey and the people in the streets laid down palm branches in his path. In many towns and villages in Mexico on this day there are processions reenacting Jesus’ triumphal entry, and woven palms are sold outside churches.
Maundy Thursday – Jueves Santo
The Thursday of Holy Week is known as Maundy Thursday or Holy Thursday. This day commemorates the washing of the feet of the apostles, the Last Supper and Jesus’ arrest in Gethsemane. Some Mexican traditions for Maundy Thursday include visiting seven churches to recall the vigil the apostles kept in the garden while Jesus prayed before his arrest, foot-washing ceremonies and of course Mass with Holy Communion.
Good Friday – Viernes Santo
Good Friday recalls the crucifixion of Christ. On this day there are solemn religious processions in which statues of Christ and the Virgin Mary are carried through town. Often the participants of these processions dress in costumes to evoke the time of Jesus. Passion plays, dramatic recreations of the crucifixion of Christ, are presented in many communities. The largest takes place in Iztapalapa, south of Mexico City, where over a million people gather every year for the Via Crucis.
Holy Saturday – Sabado de Gloria
In some places there is a custom of burning Judas in effigy because of his betrayal of Jesus, now this has become a festive occasion. Cardboard or paper mache figures are constructed, sometimes with firecrackers attached, and then burned. Sometimes the figures are made to represent political figures.
Easter Sunday – Domingo de Pascua
You won’t come across any mention of the Easter Bunny or chocolate eggs on Easter Sunday in Mexico. This is generally a day when people go to Mass and celebrate quietly with their families, though in some places there are festivities with fireworks.
The Six Fridays of Lent:
In some regions of Mexico there are special celebrations on each Friday during Lent. For example, in Oaxaca, the fourth Friday of Lent is the Día de la Samaritana, the fifth Friday of Lent is celebrated in nearby Etla at the Señor de las Peñas Church. The custom is similar in Taxco, where there is a celebration on each of the Fridays during Lent in a different nearby village.
The sixth and final Friday of Lent is known as Viernes de Dolores, “Friday of Sorrows.” This is a day of devotion to the Virgin Mary, with particular attention to her pain and suffering at the loss of her son. Altars are set up in churches and private homes in honor of the Virgin of Sorrows.
