San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, México
 

Holy Week in San Miguel de Allende

San Miguel de Allende has several religious rituals related to the Holy Week on which starts on Friday Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

On Thursday there are altars to visit in all the churches in San Miguel representing Jesus before his death in different situations. The numbers of people coming to the churches was very impressive this year.  The participation of foreigners in this celebration was particularly significant. 

On Good Friday, there are two major catholic rituals celebrated in two different churches at different hours:  The encounter of Jesus with the Virgin Mother and some of his disciples on the road to Mount Calvary during the Stations of the Cross that take place in several streets surrounding the San Miguel Archangel parish church and the Holy Burial procession starting and ending at the Oratorio of San Felipe Neri church late in the afternoon.  

The Holy Burial procession, is an impressively solemn and majestic act that lasts for about 2 1/2 hours and is participated in by many of the town's residents carrying lanterns and the heavy religious figures.  This religious event has taken place for over 65 years and is accompanied by liturgical music and hymns composed especially for this event  by the priest, José María Dolores Correa Pérez and his brother, also named José María Correa Pérez at the end of the 19th century.  The music is performed by the orchestra from Valle de Santiago and the choir from the Oratorio of San Felipe Neri.  The orchestra has been directed by Baltazar Aguilar Aguirre since 1984 and for the 15 years prior to that, the orchestra was directed by his father, Baltazar Aguilar Ortiz.  Before that, this same orchestra was directed during this procession by local San Miguel resident Benjamin Vidargas until his death.

Pictures gallery for:

Holy Thursday           The encounter            Holy Burial