Easter Sunday

Lima – Easter Sunday

 

The Lord Resurrected

A day of joy and elation, for Christ has risen. From the monastery of Our Lady of Carmen the Lord Resurrected and the Virgin of Joy set out, along different routes to reunite in front of the Cathedral Basilica, where a gleeful Easter Mass is celebrated.

Arequipa – Easter Sunday

 

This morning, the procession of the Divine Child of the Resurrection from the Monastery of St. Rose goes forth, with bells ringing throughout the city. Although the image of Jesus as a child trampling a skull underfoot, representing His triumph over death, arrived in Peru in 1800, the tradition of his procession only dates from the mid-19^th century. At the end of the march, there are solemn Easter Masses celebrated throughout the city.

The nuns of St. Rose turning over the Divine Child

In some areas (Cayma, Yanahuara) the “burning of Judas” takes place, in which a life-size representation of the traitor is burnt amidst fireworks and the jeers of the public.

***

With this post we wrap up the Holy Week series. It is with no small amount of satisfaction that I realize that these devout traditions, handed down from the time of the monarchy in many cases, endure and thrive not only in these two cities, but in much of the country. It is essential then to pray to the Almighty to grant the faithful in Peru the necessary strength to fight back against all assaults from modernist secularism, which has already mortally wounded much of the West.