Holy Week

Bolivia is a Catholic country by tradition and culture but many Bolivians don't attend church regularly. I wondered how this would play into the events surrounding Holy Week but apparently the Bolivians now how to make it happen. On Holy Thursday there is a tradition of families going out in the evening and visiting twelve different churches. The visits are not for mass but there are little prayers that are distributed to follow at each church. We had heard about this at the institute but I was still not prepared for what I saw that night after mass at the Cathedral. We left the church and the sidewalks were completely packed with people, each sidewalk had a different flow and direction. It reminded me of Finding Nemo where Marlin and Dory had to just jump into the current and hold on.

I didn't participate in the tour of the churches because I had to go home and get some rest, for what was coming on Good Friday. I decided to help/tag along with a friend from the institute as he escorted some kids from an orphanage up the highest mountain in Cochabamba for the sunrise Friday morning. We were set to leave from the orphanage at 2am. Quite appropriately, it was cold and rainy and I got lost with the taxi driver trying to find the place for about an hour. Upon arrival it was decided that with the rain it was too dangerous to hike up the mountain so instead we would hike up to the Cristo de la Concordia, a 33m tall statue of Jesus that resides due east of Cochabamba and towers over the city. One of my professors told me that there are 1300 steps leading up to the foot of the statue, that doesn't include the two hour walk we took through the city to get from the orphanage to the steps. I still wonder what the drivers thought as they passed a group of about 20 kids walking down the street at 3am. It was a test of endurance and patience but a really great way to start the day. We made it to the summit before sunrise but the rain and clouds make it a little lackluster.

The group at the foot of the Cristo (continuing my graciousness for those that bring a camera when I don't, thanks to Gray for the pictures):

A view of the lake about mid-way through the descent:

After much resting, a small group of us gathered together for the Stations of the Cross and thus ending my first Good Friday in Bolivia. Saturday was pretty subdued for me because I was pretty much recovering the whole day. There were processions on Friday and Saturday through the city but I was so out of it from the seven hour pilgrimage up to the Cristo that I missed them. From what I hear that are very similar to the Palm Sunday procession we saw on our Jesuit Mission trip. I'm glad that I've got another two years to see them. Some friends and I went to the Easter Vigil mass at the Jesuit church and I was pleased that the normal seven Old Testament readings was shortened to three. It was a good ceremony and afterwards they passed out sweet rolls and wine to everyone with a Feliz Pascua toast and much celebrating. For Bolivians, Holy week culminates with the Good Friday procession and a lot of people don't even go to Easter Sunday mass. I decided to attend mass up at the orphanage with the kids that I had hiked with. I thought that it would be a great way to bring it full circle and celebrate the day. They were very enthusiastic during a kid-appropriate homily given by one of the Maryknoll sisters, it was incredibly cute.

There was no Easter bunny or fancy pastel colored dresses on Sunday morning but the whole experience was really powerful and spiritually uplifting.