Take a trip to Mompox, the charming town declared World Heritage by UNESCO in 1995, for a must-see Easter spectacle.
If you’re bored of the whole ‘family lunch and hiding chocolate eggs’ thing, then Colombia is definitely the place to be over Easter. With a Catholic demographic of 90%, it’s one of the biggest and most-anticipated holiday celebrations in the country – especially in Mompox.
The charming city of Santa Cruz de Mompox is just a short trip away from Cartagena, where you’ll find arguably one of the biggest and most unique Easter celebrations Colombia has to offer.
The festival is a marathon celebration which lasts for eight days. On Holy Wednesday, townsfolk dress to impress and head over to the beautifully designed municipal cemetery to keep their departed loved ones company, sitting next to graves decorated with flowers and candles, playing drums, guitar and singing songs until the sun creeps over the horizon again the next day.
The festival processions on Good Thursday and Friday are known for the unique “two steps forward, one step back” rhythm adopted during the parades, a mesmerizing and solemn dance that you won’t see anywhere else. The celebrations infuse Catholic tradition with mythical pagan customs unique to the region, with the women bedecked in in their most expensive sparkling jewellery.
It’s a fantastic spectacle rich in culture. Be sure to make all necessary bookings well in advance as prices in the city tend to rise over the Easter season.
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