Holy Week In Guatemala: The All Female Penitential Procession Of The Seven Sorrows Of The Blessed Virgin Mary At Night Editorial Photo

The solemn procession of the Consecrated Image of the Blessed Virgin of Sorrows runs through the streets and avenues surrounding the Temple that houses it, in Guatemala City, every Holy Saturday in the afternoon and evening. The procession leaves the Rectory of the Archdiocesan Sanctuary of Our Lord of Saint Joseph in a round trip in the Historic Center. This procession is officially called the `Penitential Procession of the Seven Sorrows`. These sorrows represent the mystery of love that the Virgin Mary experienced during her life, as the mother of Jesus Christ. This painful image was blessed and has accompanied the procession of Jesus of Miracles since 1859. It is attributed to the sculptor Ventura Ramirez. By tradition, this image can be carried on the shoulders only by women. The image was consecrated in 2014. Holy Week in Guatemala is the celebration of the passion and death of Christ, through the processions carried by the brotherhoods of all parishes nationwide, during the period between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday, usually at the end of March and beginning of April annually. Processions are characterized by colorful sawdust carpets that adorn the streets, and religious images carried on shoulders by large congregations, for periods of up to eighteen hours in large carriers. The Covid-19 Pandemic forced the suspension of processions for two years.