Havana Cuba. – Nearly 20,000 people visited the San Lázaro National Sanctuary between the 16th and 21st of this month, as part of a new trend to make pilgrimages one month before and one month after the commemoration of the saint’s birth, set for the 17th of december.
According to statements offered by the Secretariat of the temple, located in the Havana neighborhood of El Rincón, on the days of the 16th and 17th a little more than 9,000 people entered the sanctuary, a figure that constitutes the largest turnout in the last two decades for both days of the eleventh month of the year.
“The annual pilgrimage is in December, as everyone knows; however, there is a smaller group of faithful who follow the belief that Saint Lazarus was born on January 17, and they come on that date. Now we are pleasantly surprised by this growing flow that we are receiving in November,” said Aimé Pérez Regalado, an assistant at the temple.
According to that source, before the COVID-19 pandemic, attendance in this period did not show significant peaks of increase. But since last year, after the lifting of sanitary restrictions, thousands of devotees came forward to pay tribute to San Lázaro to avoid the crowd of people that takes place during the traditional pilgrimage.
“Saint Lazarus, as a mediator before God, does not have dates or times to receive the prayers of those who need it, as long as he reaches his feet with humility and faith. The doors of the temple will always be open to everyone, at any time,” said Pérez.
Among the visitors, a large presence of groups of families from various provinces of the country stands out.
Yasiel Guevara Soler is one of 39 pilgrims who arrived in a private truck from Las Tunas. Accompanied by his wife and two minor children, he points out that they brought forward the visit to the sanctuary to avoid the increase suffered by transport prices in December, as well as to avoid “the tumults” of previous years.
“They charged 3,000 pesos for each one, but if we wait until December they ask us for 5,000 like last year. You also travel more calmly, December is a very bad month to move so far from home. Later on, people are more agitated and I come with my family, even on the highway there are more accidents,” said Guevara.
As patron saint of Cuba, the Virgin of Charity of El Cobre She is the only saint of the Catholic Church that on the Island captures more believers than Saint Lázaro. However, due to the geographical location of one and the other, some priests of the temple doubt that the church of El Cobre, in Santiago de Cuba, receives more visitors than El Rincón.
From one year to the next very little has changed in the wishes of those who stop to ask in front of the saint’s altar. The prayers to the “Old Man”, as San Lázaro is also popularly called, generally advocate health issues and economic improvements.
“Health is the most important thing, I always ask for myself, my family and my friends. Then comes the economy; the situation here is so bad that practically the only way to progress is to leave the country. And yes, of course, I also asked for that,” said Aramis Verdecia Fleites, a resident of the town of Colón in Matanzas province.
Likewise, Verdecia criticized the price he had to pay for the offerings delivered to the saint. The temple store, he emphasizes, did not have candles or flowers, the sale of which is monopolized by a multitude of street vendors that surround the place.
“A purple candle costs 80 pesos and a bouquet of sunflowers costs 1,500. A single, sad sunflower costs 350 pesos, a tremendous abuse because when you get here you have to buy the offering. But it’s not just individuals, the same church store doesn’t have candles or flowers, but it sells you a plaster statue for 5,000 pesos,” he concluded.
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