I met my language partner Juan at The Immaculate Conception Cathedral at 8am. After asking around, we determined that there would be a procession from the adjacent Santuario Mariano around 9, so we went over there first. Apparently this church is actually called “El Carmen de la Asuncion” but there are no signs saying that.
Before long the small church was soon standing room only as a bishop addressed the crowd then began the procession over to the cathedral. We should have grabbed the first open seats we saw but we wanted to get closer so we ended up eventually sitting near a side altar with no direct view. The cathedral was wall to wall people, probably 3500 to 4000 in attendance. This was quite a spectacle indeed.
http://youtu.be/njSZQqb-cfA
http://youtu.be/Gf50C7SEuKw
http://youtu.be/U0nV4i4EKNc
http://youtu.be/C4RClAUCCdY
http://youtu.be/4oeOZfrIzVU
http://youtu.be/kV2uQwioyqA
Most had some kind of plant in their hand, some had palms included. Juan says it is now illegal to sell palms because they are an endangered plant but that didn’t seem to stop the indigenous people all along the front and side of the cathedral and most churches.
I did a little research on the Cathedral which was actually started in 1885 and is still not completed. It is said that it could hold up to 9,000 people, so my estimate is no doubt way too low, because the place was jammed! The two front towers have never been finished and there is a long crack, almost dead center coming down from under the statue. It is still an imposing structure and it is in dire need of some upkeep. There is obvious damage to tiles on the domes and very evident water damage on the ceilings.
I was intending to go to see the local soccer team in action at noon but I must have read something from a prior year because there was no game today. Oh well I got some good walks today.
Enjoy the pics and movies. That was today’s excitement. Hugs to all.
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| 120401 Arches in Immaculate Conception |
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| 120401 Indigenous selling plants and palms |
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| 120401 Indigenous selling plants and palms |
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| 120401 Following Archbishop into the Cathedral |
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| 120401 Mass inside El Carmen |
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| 120401 Statue of Ecuador hero |
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| 120401Immaculate Conception |
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| 120401 This is where daisies come from |
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| 120401 Old Cathedral's bell |
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| 120401 Procession into cathedral |
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| 120401 Dad showing braiding of palms |
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| 120401 Panorama of the monster crowd inside Immaculate Conception for Palm Sunday |
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