Discover Top Posts Tagged with #processions

Nazareno, a penitent participant in the Semana Santa processions in Seville, Spain

Spanish vintage postcard

Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims gathered at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal on the eve of her feast day on May 13th, joining in prayer, processions, and devotion at the very site where the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to three shepherd children in 1917.

United in faith and hope, the crowds honored her message of peace and conversion, filling the shrine with candlelight and the sound of the rosary, an incredibly powerful testament to the enduring impact of Fatima’s call to prayer for the world.

The procession of Las posadas is a hispanic/ Latino Christmas tradition found in here in the U.S., Mexico, Central America, and South America.

From "Ivan the Terrible" in Captain America Comics #4, June 1941. Joe Simon & Jack Kirby script, Jack Kirby pencils, Joe Simon & Jack Kirby inks.

Info from Grand Comics Database

The tradition of stealing Saint Roch in Serra

In the town of Serra (València, Valencian Country) they have an interesting way of celebrating Saint Roch's Day (16th of August).

The tradition starts in some moment of August 15th, when people organize in secret to find a moment of distraction to steal the statue of Saint Roch from the town's church and take it hidden to the chapel at the top of the hill behind the town.

Back in the day, this robbery used to be done during the procession dedicated to the Virgin of August, when everyone was distracted there offering basil (like in nearby towns). Nowadays, that procession isn't done anymore, but the stealing tradition is so loved that there are two statues: the normal one for adults, and a little version for kids.

The stolen statues in the chapel.

Once they've sneakily taken the statues to the chapel, the organizers prepare a string of loud firecrackers that go from the chapel down the path to the town. At midnight, they light them to signal that the act is about to start.

At that point, they begin to return Saint Roch to the church, parading down the hill. Other organizers stand throughout the path, and light their firecrackers when Saint Roch crosses in front of them.

The procession downhill.

When the procession reaches the town, the crowd gathers to welcome it and all kinds of firecrackers are thrown. The groups take the statues to the house of one of the organizers, who will keep it until next morning. The tradition ends when the statues (and the crowd that goes with it) reach this house, and the family of the house offer a drink or a snack to the people who are present.

On the 16th (Saint Roch's Day), there are parades, more firecrackers, music concerts, and food contests, among others.

Photos and information from festa.org and Comunitat Valenciana.

#serra #país valencià #tradicions #sant roc #cultures #traditions #travel #processions #saint roch #fireworks #culture #europe #valencian

Festa de Nossa Senhora das Dores | Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows (Trofa, Porto)

The festivities in honor of Nossa Senhora das Dores (Our Lady of Sorrows), in the portuguese city of Trofa, are considered one of the biggest pilgrimages from the north of Portugal. The pilgrimage takes place on the third Sunday of August, where the traditional and secular procession takes place, unique for the grandeur of its “andores” (procession floats). There are a total of ten floats, all made by hand using countless of pins and a few hundred metres of ribbons and satin. The one carrying the image of Our Lady of Sorrows is the largest, measuring between 15 and 16 meters, which makes it taller than some of the surrounding buildings, and weighs more than six hundred kilos, requiring several men to move them.

As the name suggests, the tribute to the Lady of Sorrows portrays a Marian devotion in its suffering facet. In this context, it assumes a veneration of the torture, that can be understood with all the effort dedicated to making the floats and the strength required to transport them. The procession begins and ends at the Main Church of Santiago de Bougado, with hundreds of extras who give encouragement to the pilgrimage, thus contrasting with the solemn moment of the reverence for the passing of the float, that is, the Seven Sorrows of Mary.