Though Christmas is one of the most widely celebrated festivals in the world, Semana Santa is a close second in popularity in Mexico. Semana Santa and Pascua are the two weeks that makeup Easter in Mexico. Semana Santa is one of the most significant festivals in Mexican tradition.
If you want to experience it, you should get your Mexico insurance for San Bernardino before you get here.
What happens in the Semana Santa festival?
Semana Santa is like a Mexican version of the Christian holiday Easter and certain Mexican communities, including Taxco, San Cristobal de las Casas, and many more, hold dramatizations of the events before Christ’s crucifixion. The performers are renowned for their highly affecting performances. You will find many real depictions of Christ’s life, such as the actor who plays Jesus will carry the wooden cross on his shoulders while wearing a crown of thorns.
Also, in certain parts of Mexico, you will find that during Semana Santa, many people display unusual customs like open displays of political or social mockery, exhibitions of resolve and commitment, and physical torment. This usually happens in the more orthodox towns of Mexico, like the Taxco.
Another famous custom, most famous in San Miguel de Allende, is known as the “Burning of the Judases,” which is a Spanish-influenced tradition. As a re-enactment of punishing Judas for betraying Christ, which ultimately led to crucifixion, the carpenters of Spain created a wooden doll of Judas and burnt or hanged it in public places. During the Holy Inquisition period, when the Spanish people were burning Mexicans at stake, the Mexicans objected by making wooden dolls dressed like the Spanish Inquisitors and burnt them in place of Judas. This is a custom that is still in practice during the Semana Santa.
At present, you will see that people are using enormous Judas figures made of paper mache, painted and made to look like public figures who are not currently popular with the general populace. The people participating in this then hang the dolls and set them ablaze with fireworks, scattering their parts around the streets for the kids to find them as mementoes. Popular Mexican personalities like Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera were early adopters of making Judases and were ardent supporters of the significance of art in politics.
Also, several Mexicans would visit twelve Churches in the same day to honor the twelve Apostles, demonstrating their dedication to Christ. During the second week of Semana Santa, the Mexicans celebrate Easter and the Resurrection of Jesus. This second week is called Pascua, which carries on the Easter celebrations in a positive tone. It resembles the English New Year’s celebration, a time to celebrate New beginnings. During this time, several Mexicans travel to Puerto Vallarta to enjoy the coastal areas as they pay tribute.
Conclusion
The festival of Semana Santa is one of Mexico’s most renowned cultural festivals, and you will not regret visiting Mexico during this time. This festival is genuinely a unique way to experience the Occidental Easter celebrations. Just get your Mexico car insurance for San Bernardino before you travel.