SANTO DOMINGO.-For those staying in the city, the Ministry of Tourism (Mitur) announced that it will hold the sixth edition of Turizonenando, this time, Holy Week 2024 version, for those interested in enjoying religious tourism.
A press release from Mitur highlights that the new edition includes a digital guide to consult all the activities and tourist offers available in the Colonial City.
Below is the complete program with all the dates, times and routes of the processions for 2024:
Do a Stations of the Cross at your favorite parish
Every Friday at 6:00 pm until March 28th, a Stations of the Cross procession will be held, lasting approximately one hour. This celebration, one of the most widespread devotions and prayer practices among Catholics, reenacts the different moments in the life of Jesus of Nazareth, from his arrest to his crucifixion, burial, and resurrection.
Enjoy a religious musical
Regina Angelorum Church offered a free performance of the musical "The Seven Last Words" yesterday, Friday, March 22nd, at 8:00 pm. The musical tells the stories of those who lived close to Jesus Christ and recalls how He touched their lives through songs that evoke the seven words spoken by our Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross.
Palm Sunday, March 24
Reenactment of Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem. On Sunday at 10:00 a.m., the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Mercy will hold the blessing of the palms and the reenactment of Jesus on the donkey. The blessed palms recall the palms and olive branches that the inhabitants of Jerusalem waved and placed in Jesus' path as they acclaimed him as King and as the one who came in the name of the Lord. These blessed words that we hear each Palm Sunday signify that with them we proclaim Jesus as King of Heaven and Earth, but above all, that we proclaim him as King of our hearts.
Sweet bean tasting. With or without beans, with more or less spice, with crackers or cassava bread, with or without coconut, all sweet beans have their own unique character, reflecting the taste of the cook. At the Lenten Market in Billini Park, from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, you'll have the opportunity to enjoy each of these varieties.
Holy Monday, March 25
Starting at 5:00 pm, the Regina Angelorum Church will lead you to the Catholic Stations of the Cross for Holy Week. The Stations of the Cross is a devotion centered on the Sorrowful Mysteries of Christ, which are meditated upon and contemplated while walking and pausing at the fourteen stations that mark the path of faith. This activity is preceded by a Mass and followed by the recitation of the Rosary.
From 7:00 pm you can participate in the procession of Christ Bound to the Column and the Macarena. Christ at the Column, or Christ Bound to the Column, is a scene from the Gospels and a very frequent iconographic theme in Christian art, within the Passion cycle.
Holy Tuesday, March 26
Procession of Jesus the Most Patient. On Tuesday at 6:00 pm, following the Holy Rosary and the Eucharist, this procession will take place at the Santa Bárbara Cathedral. The procession fills the Colonial Zone with a profound sense of love, devotion, and the Passion of Jesus.
Holy Wednesday, March 27
Procession of Jesus of Nazareth. At 5:00 pm after a mass at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church. The Nazarenes are members of a brotherhood who participate in the penitential procession during Holy Week in Spain, wearing the vestments specified in the brotherhood's rules.
Holy Thursday, March 28
- Chrism Mass at the cathedral. At 10:00 am, in this religious ceremony, the holy oils used for the sacraments and rituals are blessed or consecrated.
- Mass with the washing of the feet at the cathedral. At 6:00 pm, the Bishop of Santo Domingo performs the washing of the feet of the parishioners, just as Jesus did with his apostles during the Last Supper.
- Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in all churches. From 12:00 pm until Good Friday. The Blessed Sacrament is exposed for the adoration of the faithful in two ways. The first is by leaving the ciborium (the metal container used to reserve and distribute the Eucharist in churches) visible, and the second is by placing the Sacred Host in a monstrance so that it can be seen by all.
Good Friday, March 29
- Sermon on the Seven Last Words at the Cathedral at 1:00 pm. The seven last words of Christ on the cross were first compiled and analyzed in detail by the Cistercian monk Arnaud de Bonneval in the 12th century. Since then, theological and devotional interpretations of these words have multiplied.
- Passion ceremony at the Cathedral at 2:00 pm. This celebration commemorates the Passion of Christ, that is, the sufferings that the religious figure endured and that culminated in his death on the cross.
- Procession of the Holy Burial. This religious activity will take place at the Sanctuary of Las Mercedes at 4:00 pm. Its purpose is to theatrically commemorate the burial of Jesus Christ after his death on the Holy Cross on Good Friday
Holy Saturday, March 30
- Easter Vigil. All churches will hold it at 8:00 p.m. This ceremony is a liturgical celebration that commemorates the Resurrection of Jesus and takes place on Easter morning.
Easter Sunday, March 31
- Easter Masses in all churches. At this Sunday Mass, the Paschal candle is lit, representing the light of the Risen Christ, and it will remain lit until Ascension Day.
