Respecting my first Good Friday in Chapala
By: Patrick O’Heffernan
I am so looking forward to this weekend’s celebration of the Passion of Christ. Although my wife and I bought our house in Ajijic over 5 years ago, we actually did not move in until almost 3 years ago. The preceding years we visited, managed a ranch, and stayed in various homes around Lakeside. We were never here during Semana Santa and Easter, so this will be my first. I experienced Christmas in Baja when I was in my 20’s, but I understand the two holidays and the attendant celebrations are nothing alike.
I am going to find out, for sure. The route of the Passion of Christ goes right by my house. My neighbors and I will be in a mirador that overlooks the pathway up to the Stations of the Cross in the tépalo, and the return procession will go down our street. Dale Hoyt Palfrey of the Guadalajara Reporter published an excellent photo essay of the Passion, from past years from the trial and flogging all the way up the mountain to the crucifixion; going through her photos made me realize the scale of the event.
I am not a Catholic, although my mother insisted I go to the local Catholic grammar school (supposedly “better” than the public school), so I am familiar with the story. But the focus was always on Easter, with Good Friday and Palm Sunday distant seconds. We did the stations of the Cross on Good Friday in the church attached to the school, but that was it. The idea of the entire story being reenacted with full costumes, supporting casts and a crucifixion is a mind-boggling reminder of the power of religion.
In retrospect, it shouldn’t be. In Indonesia I watched the procession of the Hindu festival Thaipusam where thousands of devotees followed long lines of entranced men and women who pierced their cheeks with spears and put hooks through their skin attached to ropes dragging weights behind them So, following an actor playing Christ carrying a cross up the trail through the hills is not surprising, but the scale of the event here in Lakeside is impressive.
I was always taught to respect people’s practice of their religion, as long as it did not harm anyone (apparently the people in Thaipusam felt no pain while in a trance and healed very quickly). I understand that the Passion may involve hardship and maybe pain for some of the actors, but that is their passion and it is to be respected, as is the whole celebration and the devotion of the people in it and following it, Expats and Mexicans.
Which makes me think a little about Santa Semana and tourism. I was out on the streets today in downtown Ajijic and they were very crowded. People were shopping, cruising the sidewalks with takeaway margaritas and beers, enjoying themselves, as they should be.
But various government officials in Lakeside’s municipalities have predicted as many as 2 million visitors will arrive in Chapala and 180,000 in Jocotepec. Seems high to me – that would be 25% of the population of Guadalajara arriving and spreading out through the towns of Chapala. In Jocotepec, that would be an increase in population greater than all of Lakeside. But that is what they said, so we reported it. And we will report on the actual numbers, if they are calculated.
While numbers like that may be good for business – assuming everyone can actually get here and find a place to park and a restaurant table – I worry that the sheer numbers of people on holiday may not encourage respect for the Passion. If you are here on a holiday weekend, you are having fun, and there is probably no way you are going to be one of the 2,000 people following the procession up to the crucifixion, so you might be tempted to ignore the solemn event taking place. But, like I said, this will be my first Good Friday celebration in Ajijic and I may be pleasantly surprised by the respect of the crowds. I hope so.
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