In San Miguel de Allende people celebrate every year the Lord of the Column who arrived from Atotonilco at the San Juan de Dios temple.
El Señor de La Columna feast is a deeply rooted religious tradition in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, that has been celebrated for over two centuries. This annual event commemorates the arrival of the image of “El Señor de La Columna” to the town, symbolizing Jesus Christ’s suffering and endurance. The festivity begins with a nocturnal pilgrimage from the Sanctuary of Atotonilco to the San Juan de Dios neighborhood, a journey of faith and devotion spanning approximately 12 kilometers.
The image of Jesus, depicted as being tied to a column and scourged, is carried by the faithful in a solemn procession illuminated by candles and lanterns. This act of collective worship draws thousands of participants, including locals and visitors from abroad, who walk the path while reciting ancient indigenous psalms and poetic chants. The procession is a vibrant display of faith, featuring monumental sawdust carpets, colorful paper decorations, and balloons that adorn the route, particularly along Avenida Independencia and San Antonio Abad Street.
Upon reaching San Miguel de Allende at dawn, the image is received with jubilation and traditional praises. The celebration continues with daily masses, special ceremonies, and representations of biblical events leading up to Easter Sunday. The feast culminates with a farewell to the revered images, marking the end of a period of intense spiritual reflection and community bonding. El Señor de La Columna feast is not just a religious observance but a cultural cornerstone that showcases the rich heritage and fervent spirit of San Miguel de Allende.
201 years have passed since the Lord of the Column was brought from Atotonilco to the temple of San Juan de Dios for the first time, one of the most deeply rooted traditions of the people of San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico.
This religious tradition dates back to 1823 when it brought together more than 25 thousand faithful to carry out the pilgrimage with the image of Jesus, from the sanctuary of Jesús Nazareno in Atotonilco to the temple of San Juan de Dios.
From this day until next Wednesday of Easter week, the visit of the Lord of the Column brings together more than 50 thousand parishioners who come at least once during these days to venerate him.
This year, the departure of the pilgrimage from the Atotonilco Sanctuary began with the traditional interpretation of ancestral indigenous psalms and poetic songs, which enlivened the night journey, illuminated by the lanterns of the guards and the candles of the devout crowd.
Along 12 kilometers of route, these thousands of San Miguel residents and visitors from Mexico and abroad live their faith in this symbolic representation, in which the passion of Christ is venerated particularly the moment in which Jesus was apprehended and whipped by the Roman Empire, before his trial and crucifixion.
The route is full of solemn rituals that reflect the pain caused by the punishment suffered by Jesus and along with his mother, represented in the images of the Virgin of Dolores and the Virgin of La Soledad.
However, this festivity is also full of color and hope that is reflected in the monumental painted sawdust mats made by locals in different parts of the route, which is also adorned with clotheslines of confetti and balloons, mainly on Independencia Avenue and Calle San Antonio Abad, in the traditional neighborhood of San Juan de Dios.
The bishop of the Diocese of Celaya offered the mass to celebrate the Lord of the Column
Upon his arrival at dawn in front of the sculpture and his entrance to the atrium of the temple, the image of Jesus was received and revealed among applause, chants, and prayers by the thousands of attendees with the ringing of the jubilee bell and then gave way to the mass, which was officiated by the bishop of the Diocese of Celaya, Monsignor Víctor Alejandro Aguilar Ledezma.
San Miguel Times
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