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KIDS UNITED
This month, Maria will celebrate Semana Santa
alongside nearly 90 million of Mexico’s Catholic
citizens. Semana Santa (Holy Week) holds a special significance to Maria and her friends – it is a celebration of the days leading up to Easter. And this year Maria will play a special part in the celebration of Semana Santa – she will be performing in her Town’s Passion Play, held on Viernes Santo (Good Friday)!
Semana Santa is one of the biggest holidays in Mexico.
Almost the entire country goes on vacation for the
week, and some people even take two weeks off! Maria
is used to going to Church every Sunday with her Madre
(Mom), Padre (Dad), hermanos and hermanas (brothers
and sisters).
After Mass (what Catholics call their
church service), Maria and her family will sit down to
a big brunch. Then everyone may go their separate
ways – Maria will practice dancing with her
girlfriends, her brothers will practice their
instruments, Madre and Padre will work around the
house. But during Semana Santa everything is
different. She and her family go to Mass nearly every
day. Each day of Semana Santa holds a special
significance to Maria:
–On Palm Sunday, Maria’s priest blesses palm fronds
and lets everyone take one home with them (last year
Maria’s older brother taught her how to fold her palm
leaf in the shape of a cross and hang it above her
bed!).
-On Jueves Santo (Holy Thursday), Maria’s priest holds
a mass in honor of Jesus’ last supper.
-On Sabado Santo (Holy Saturday) a candlelit mass ends
with merriment in the church courtyard and the burning
of paper mache characters designed to signify the
triumph of good over evil.
-On Domingo de Gloria (Sunday of Glory, or Easter
Sunday) Maria and her family go to church wearing
their best clothes. When Mass ends the whole church
gathers in the town square to celebrate and enjoy
music, dancing, food, balloons and toys! On this day,
Maria celebrates the resurrection of Jesus, and his
place with God in Heaven.
But it is Viernes Santo, Good Friday, which has Maria
most excited this year. She has been practicing for
weeks to appear in her town’s Passion Play. Many
towns throughout Mexico put on a play depicting the
events leading up to the death of Jesus. Maria will
be playing one of the townspeople of Jerusalem, the
place that Jesus lived 2000 years ago.
She gets to
stand with the other townspeople and wave a palm frond
at the man who will play Jesus (this year it’s her
oldest brother!). Hundreds of people will turn out to
watch the play, and though Maria is a bit nervous, she
cannot wait to perform! Afterwards she and her family
will sit down to a huge meal – a celebration of a job
well done.
Semana Santa and the Passion Play will be among the
most exciting parts of Maria’s year! She wishes
everyone a wonderful, happy Easter!
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