The Guadalajara Reporter

Holy Week pageantry brings Easter story to life

In lakeside’s predominantly Roman Catholic communities, the Easter season is marked by the most transcendent of its many religious celebrations and the traditional public pageants that bring to life biblical accounts of the Passion of Christ.

Highlights of Semana Santa (Holy Week) activities scheduled in Chapala, San Antonio and Ajijic are listed below. Similar programs will take place in most other lakeshore communities on the same dates.

Motorists would be wise to avoid road travel in the immediate vicinity of these special events while they are in progress. Residents are asked to cooperate in keeping parked vehicles off the streets in the locations and times that processions are taking place.  

Bear in mind that starting times are approximate. Spectators often assemble an hour or more in advance to gain the best viewing spots. Persons attending these events are advised to dress appropriately in accordance with prevailing day and evening weather and temperatures. Those choosing to follow moving sequences should wear walking shoes appropriate for safely navigating cobblestones and rough terrain.

Maundy Thursday

Jueves Santo (March 28) is marked by religious services commemorating the Last Supper. Afterwards, church bells and musical instruments are silenced inside all churches until the conclusion of Saturday’s Easter Vigil.

Chapala: Visit to the Seven Temples, 9 a.m. to noon, leaving the San Francisco parish for stops in sequence at the Santa Teresa, El Carmen, Sagrada Corazon, El Refugio, San Francisquito, San Miguel and Lourdes churches. Mass, with commemoration of the Last Supper, held at San Francisco, El Carmen, Refugio and Cristo Rey churches, 5 p.m.

San Antonio: Last Supper celebrated at the village parish, 7 p.m. Afterwards the Passion Play opens with scenes of the Last Supper, Garden of Gethsemane arrest and trial of Jesus, beautifully staged at the Teatro del Pueblo, located in the courtyard of the Cuauhtemoc elementary school opposite the church. Original musical score composed by Paris Diaz, performed live by the CREM Orchestra.

Ajijic: Celebration of the Last Supper during evening Mass, 7 p.m., at San Andres. Presentation of the Pasion de Cristo begins with episodes of the Garden of Gethsemane, Christ’s final teachings to his Disciples and the Kiss of Judas, staged in a new mountainside location at the top of Calle El Tempisque, starting around, 9 p.m. Torch-bearing Pharisees and soldiers arrive to apprehend Jesus, marching to the plaza via Emiliano Zapata and Colon for scenes of the Judgment by the Sanhedrin enacted in front of the Rosario Chapel.

Good Friday

Viernes Santo (March 29) is a prescribed day of fasting and abstinence. Representations of the Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) climax with the Crucifixion and burial scenes. Following somber evening church services lasting around two hours, the faithful parade through darkened streets to mourn the death of Christ with La Marcha de Silencio, a chilling procession that is mute except for the sound of shuffling feet and chains dragged along the ground.

Chapala: The Via Crucis Viviente at the San Francisco atrium, 9 a.m., with scenes of the Last Supper through the Trial of Jesus. The Way of the Cross follows, traveling via Paseo Ramon Corona, Zaragoza, Raul Navarro, Privada Madero  and Miguel Martinez, to end with enactment of the Crucifixion. Celebration of the Passion of Christ, 4 p.m., at San Francisco, El Carmen, Refugio and Cristo Rey churches. Marcha de Silencio leaves San Francisco parish, 7 p.m., followed by Rosary of Condolence and Reflection on the Last Words from the Cross.

San Antonio: The Passion Play picks up again, 12:30 p.m., with the trek to Calvary starting at the east end of town, Calle Ramon Corona at Arroyo Hondo, running straight across Ramon Corona to a vacant lot at the street’s west end. Following the Crucifixion scene, the body of Christ is carried the church atrium to be laid to rest in his tomb. Passion of Christ service at the church, 5 p.m. The Marcha de Silencio departs the parish 9 p.m., winding through town past the Four Crosses and returning to the church for the Rosary of Condolence, 10 p.m. 

Ajijic: Passion Play resumes with scenes of Christ facing trial and condemnation before Pontius Pilate and Herod, and flagellation by Roman soldiers, played out on stunning scenic backdrops in the San Andres atrium, starting 10 a.m., The Via Crucis follows, with performers and spectators accompanying Jesus as he bears a heavy wooden cross to the Crucifixion site, taking Calles Parroquia-Hidalgo, Juarez, Angel Flores and Tempisque to the spot of Thursday night’s sequences. The Disciples carry Christ’s body back to the center of town for a burial scene inside the church. Lecture of the Passion of Christ and Rosary of Condolences devotions at San Andres begin at 7 p.m. Marcha de Silencio leaves the church at 9 p.m., traveling along Marcos Castellanos, Constitucion-Ocampo to Seis Esquinas, returning to San Andres via Hidalgo-Parroquia.

Holy Saturday

Evening Easter Vigil services on Holy Saturday – March 30 – end with the rekindling of the sacred altar lights and the Pasqual Candle, after which church bells will peal anew to herald the Risen Christ. The evening caps off between 11 p.m. and midnight with the traditional Quema de Judas, when whimsical papier maché effigies – often representing politicians or other public figures considered as traitors – are strung up and blown to bits with strings of noisy firecrackers.

Chapala: Solemn Easter Vigil services at San Francisco, El Carmen, Refugio and Cristo Rey churches start at 9 p.m. Burning of Judas figures outside city hall around 11 p.m.

San Antonio: Blessing of the New Fire ceremony starts at the waterfront Malecon, 9 p.m. Vigilia Pascual at the church, starting 10 p.m., includes Via Crucis Viviente players reenacting the Resurrection.

Ajijic: Solemn Easter Vigil service, 8 to 10 p.m., San Andres atrium, with Passion Play cast members appearing to portray the Resurrection. The Quema de Judas follows around 11 p.m. in front of the Delegacion office at the plaza. 

Easter Sunday

As a day of Holy obligation for the faithful, all local churches schedule services throughout Easter Sunday – March 31. San Antonio celebrates the holiday with the Marcha de Alegria lively parade around the village, departing from the parish, 8:30 p.m.