Catholic faithful of San Marcos celebrated on Monday the feast of the patron saint of the same name, which this year takes place in the atrium of a church instead of in the streets due to the restrictions imposed by the government of Daniel Ortega.
Hundreds of faithful celebrated with traditional dances, colorful costumes and masks the beginning of the commemoration of the patron saint festivities of this town located 35 kilometers south of Managua.
“Ordinarily, what is called this meeting of the saints that we call the Top, was done in a numerous, processional way, there was a designated place. But this year we are going to do it that way to the extent that we can do it,” priest César Castillo told AFP.
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“We take it with an attitude in which the Church always seeks a sense of respect and not only respect, but also to do it in the best way that does not affect the other brothers,” Castillo said.
Until last year, the image of San Marcos traveled the main streets of the municipality carried by devotees and accompanied by traditional dances and people who thanked the saint for favors received.
The tour included the meeting of the images of Saints Santiago and Sebastián, and of the Virgin of Montserrat on the occasion of the festivities.
This time, the images of the saints that accompanied San Marcos were brought in trucks from the neighboring towns of Jinotepe, Diriamba and La Concepción.
President Daniel Ortega explained last week that Catholic Holy Week celebrations had been restricted to church grounds to avoid “provocations.”
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Five years ago, the national authorities violently repressed anti-government protests, leaving some 300 dead.
Bryan Pérez, one of the faithful of San Marcos, showed his nostalgia because the route of the saints through the streets was restricted in the patron saint festivities. “We are concerned because we did not enjoy our cap as it was, here is a drill; this is a mock cap,” he told AFP.
During the San Marcos festivities, food is also distributed among the faithful. Helen Fernández is a devotee who has shared food in this way for five years and she points out that she would have wanted a party “like every year, with a happy ending” with people in the streets. “But I think the party is going to take place, even if it’s here in the atrium of the church,” she told AFP.
