Return of the Virgin

Ok, so on the second of August a couple of million people walk from their homes to Cartago to celebrate La Virgen de los Angeles. Seems she goes out for a walk after that… For the past month she's been going around the country visiting other churches. Today she returned. I saw something about that in the paper. Little corner article (that's usually about all the warning you get about these things). Not much about what was happening, but the pasada was at 10. I wanted to investigate, so we went.

We arrived in Cartago about 9:30am and I could see from the bus that there was something going on at the church in the center of town. We headed up to see what was up. There was a platform covered with flowers in front of the church and about a hundred people waiting outside. But it was what was on the road that was really eye catching, some sort of decoration going down the center of the road. Something like you would see in Tibet. Looked like a sand painting going all the way down to the corner. We followed it to find that these paintings/quilts, whatever you want to call them continued down the street for about 5 more blocks. Every block a different pattern, different theme. They seemed to be constructed of sand, sawdust, paper shreds, flowers, greenery and dirt. Each having it's own style, each having it's own theme. One of the most ornate was done by the fire department. This pattern followed exactly the path taken by the pasada last Good Friday to the Basilica. So we have 3 or 4 miles of this artwork!

We walked around for about a half and hour exploring these and returned to the church. The pasada was forming, there was a band, children dressed in traditional Costa Rican clothes and police. In the church there was a service, lots of bells and singing. In time the Virgin came out to great applause and the procession began. Of course, not before a rousing version of the national anthem, and these people sing it with their whole heart! The procession starts off, followed by thousands of people, trampling this fine artwork as they go. Again as with Tibetan art (or Navaho), it's temporary. Built with its eminent destruction in mind. Notable…today is the final day of Burning Man. The day the temple is burned. Art for the experience, art that is built and then destroyed (burned in this case). I wonder of those in Cartago would see the similarity too.

Deb and I went to the city square to see what was going on there. Lots of tents, food and a band. We then started to follow the road (and patterns) to the Basilica. There were thousands of people doing the same, or sitting on the sidewalk waiting, or at the Basilica waiting. When (some hours late) the Virgin arrived at the Basilica there was fireworks and the letting off of hundreds of balloons. The Costa Rican flag, models of the Virgin, a dove and cross were also lifted up by large groups of balloons to float of to who knows where.

In Costa Rica, perhaps in Catholicism, it's notable to see how religion and everyday life blend. This is a major religious event! Complete with carnival, bands, food, people old and young (nobody is excluded), pets. It's a celebration! It's a party! Everybody comes out!