Virgen del Carmen Procession

Traditions are interesting because they show the soul of a country performing the best or the worst of human nature hopes and dreams…many of them are meant sometimes to control groups and they should be analyzed in schools to open dialog and avoid prejudices and fanatic behaviour. I followed many “traditions” when I was a child

"venid y vamos todos
con flores a María
que madre nuestra es
de nuevo aquí nos tienes
purísima doncella
mas que la luna bella
postrados a tus pies... "

"Come on everybody
with flowers to Mary
she is our mother
here we are again
you the purest virgin
more beautiful than the moon
we kneel down at your feet"


When I was a child I attended to the procession celebrated in honor of the "Virgin del Carmen" the patron of Chile. We spent a month at school preparing this procession since 8th of November to the 8th of December praying each day for half an hour in a ceremony called Month of Mary. A tradition that still is performed in all the cities and towns in Chile, priests and altar boys first followed by the christians and pagans. They begin the procession from the main square crossing several streets to reach the place where a mass is celebrated.