Last friday (Good Friday), a massive re-enactment of the Passion took place all over Mexico, as it has for decades. As always, the biggest one was located in Iztapalapa, the largest barrio in Mexico City. Drawing about 2 million visitors yearly, in a tradition going back to 1843, the acting out of the Passion is a major festival which can boast a number of street vendors and even a ferris wheel. With rainfall at a record low for that area, water itself has become a scarce luxury, but everyone remains cheerful during the Passion. To play a major part in the re-enactment is a major honor (Diego Zirahuen Villagran Villalobos got the part of Jesus), and people line up for the opportunity even to play Judas. Altogether, the festival is a yearly, emotional occurrence which draws the people together and helps them forget the misfortune in their lives.read more here
This festival is a major event with strong ties to Christianity and Catholicism, the predominant religion of Mexico. It unifies the people in a celebration which permeates geographical separations by drawing on common religious beliefs; as good as the union is, it may later create tensions between religious groups.
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