Semana Santa (Holy week) in Puerto Vallarta

Hola amigos, happy Easter!

For Catholic people Easter or "Semana Santa" (as we Mexicans call it) is about celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after his crucifixion at Calvary as described in the New Testament.Easter is preceded by Lent, a forty-day period of fasting, prayer, and penance. The last week of Lent is called Holy Week, and it contains the days of the Easter Triduum, including Maundy Thursday, commemorating Maundy and the Last Supper,as well as Good Friday, commemorating the crucifixion and death of Jesus. Easter is followed by a fifty-day period called Eastertide or the Easter Season, ending with Pentecost Sunday. The festival is referred to in English by a variety of different names including Easter Day, Easter Sunday,Resurrection Day and Resurrection Sunday. (Source:  Wikipedia.) 

OK,after knowing what Easter is, lets go back to Vallarta..

Here in Mexico Easter is a unique time in the year to have a break from the regular activities and enjoy with family and friends
2 weeks of vacation is what the schools give to the students so, as you might know, sun,sand and sea is what they are looking for!
Hotels are 100% full occupancy and all the bars and restaurants have great promotions. Everybody is ready to party !
But for the locals...  it is a different story.
Everything is full, there is no parking spots, traffic jam all day long,supermarkets and shopping malls are packed,beaches are completely full. The economic revenues are great for hotels and some stores like "OXXO" stores,(Mexican version of 7/11 stores)  but most of the people bring their own supplies to the beach.
I would like to say that this year most of the people took care of their garbage and left the beach clean, and the local authorities did a great job too.
Here are some pics, these were taken in downtown and old town.

Stay tuned for more articles!
Your amigo in PV:  Juan Carlos.

Lady of Guadalupe festival in Puerto Vallarta

Hola amigos!  I want to share with you my experience during Lady of Guadalupe Festival last December 2011.  A special thanks to my friends James and Linda Schmidt for walking all the way with my girlfriend and me and sharing a very special dinner.

I will say that is always exciting and touching to see all the people performing and walking to the church as a way to say thanks for all the goods during the year. Most of the families start rehearsing their performance 3 months before the festivities!
Who performs during the festivities?
All kind of people and families!

• Hotels
• Schools
• Hospitals
• Fishermen
• Tour operators
• Local business

Some of them just walk along Juarez street singing the popular songs like "La Guadalupana"with banners and flowers as gifts,and some of them dressed with prehispanic outfits and performing ancient dances.
It is quite cultural and fun.
After 6:00pm Juarez street is pack with food and dessert stands that delight locals and tourists during the festivities!
Here are my pictures:
Enjoy the Slide-show!

I took this fragment form WIKIPEDIA about the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe:
According to Roman Catholic tradition, on December 9, 1531, Juan Diego, a recently converted Aztec indigenous peasant, had a vision of a young woman while he was on a hill in the Tepeyac desert, near Mexico City. The lady asked him to build a church exactly on the spot where they were standing. He told the local Bishop Juan de Zumarraga, who asked for proof in exchange.
Juan Diego went back later and saw the lady again. He told her that the bishop wanted proof, and she instructed Juan Diego to go to the mountain top, where he found Castillian roses, which were native to Bishop Juan de Zumarraga's hometown and could not possibly bloom during wintertime. Juan Diego cut the roses, placed them in his apron-like tilma and returned to the bishop; an imprint of the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared on the tilma from the residue of the soil and roses.
Today, the icon is displayed in the nearby Basilica of Guadalupe, now one of the most visited Catholic shrines in the world.The Virgin of Guadalupe is Mexico's most popular religious and cultural image, with the titles "Queen of Mexico","Empress of the Americas",and "Patroness of the Americas".Both Miguel Hidalgo (in the Mexican War of Independence) and Emiliano Zapata (during the Mexican Revolution) carried flags bearing the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and Guadalupe Victoria, the first Mexican president, changed his name in honor of the icon.

Stay tuned for my next special report! 

Your amigo in P.V:    Juan Carlos.

source link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_Guadalupe

Welcome!

Hola amigos,welcome to my blog!
I will continue posting information on it as much as I can, and If you want to know about a topic,please let me know and I will try to post about it. Thank you all for your visit and...come back!!!