Oaxaca Silent Parade, Holy Week Oaxaca, Mexico
Oaxaca's Silent Parade occurs on Friday of Holy Week or
Semana Santa,
one of Oaxaca's most important religious festivals.  The  
celebration   combines the religion brought by the Spanish colonists in the
1520s with some of the lingering pagan practices. From the European style
churches, many built in the 1600s, parades and spectacles take place in the
preserved colonial center of the city, an area of colonial buildings and
churches.
Oaxaca stands unique among world cities
because of its thriving indigenous
population, 11 or so languages still spoken
within the mountainous state and the many
ancient rituals still practiced.  This
combining of the colonial Spanish, modern
European, and indigenous culture gives
Oaxaca a flair for art and spectacle unique
in the world.
Oaxaca City, Mexico is surrounded by mountains that rise to nearly ten
thousand feet.  The settlement was established in a valley at 5000 feet and the
surrounding mountains have isolated the villages somewhat and perpetuated
the speaking of the ancient languages and the practice of the old customs.
Oaxaca Bus Service now connects the city with nearly every village and
provides a way for the people of the mountains to visit the city and for visitors
to Oaxaca to
travel to the remote places. Often the bus will make one trip over
the mountain roads to the village and park for the night, returning to Oaxaca
City the following day. Most of the villages in the mountains have some sort of
lodging for visitors.
Oaxaca's Days of the Dead: Another important event in the life of Oaxaca
is the Day Of The Dead ritual. Actually two or three Days of the Dead but the
action takes place at night in the cemeteries of the villages and in the Panteon
General in the city. Usually starting on the last day of October and lasting for
two nightly vigils in the cemeteries as families clean and decorate their family
plots and tombs in anticipation of the return of the spirits.
Oaxaca's Night of the Radishes: Only in Oaxaca can one find this unique
competition in the carving of huge radishes to create exorbitant sculptures that
go on display in the Zocalo on December 23 and are judged for money prizes.
The stakes are big and some of Oaxaca's best artists and artisans will
compete by making incredible carvings and sculptures done with the lowly
radish.
Oaxaca at Christmas: The city hosts so many visitors that the ATM
machines run out of cash.. Beginning with the several Virgin's days on
December 8th: Guadeloupe,Juquila, Soledad, and right up until the three Kings
in January the festivals continue. Oaxaca loves to party
Semana
Santa in
Oaxaca
on
the Friday
before Easter
a silent
parade
through the
streets
re-enacts the
carrying of the
cross by
Christ .
Other Events in Oaxaca
Church officials and police
block several streets for the
parade which includes the
passage of statues taken
from the churches.  
Oaxaca Silent Parade during Holy Week in Oaxaca, Mexico is part of
Oaxaca's most important holiday which includes cultural events that
herald in Easter.  The Silent Parade on Good Friday  has a touch of local
ethnic and pagan practices.
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