In Venezuela, we share a nice tradition in Easter: Visiting the 7 temples. This consists of following a route and walking to 7 Catholic churches, where you would pray 33 creeds.
Ever since I was a kid, my parents would take us on this long walk, with other relatives such as cousins, uncles, and aunts, my grandma, etc. So it was very fun to do and I got the chance to eat traditional desserts and drinks to keep hydrated.
Last year, I didn’t get a chance to do this, since in Bogotá the distances are way too long and the walk would be exhausting. Also, as I was working for an online US-based company, I did not have any days off on Easter. However, I went to a church to pray the 33 creeds and I found a huge difference. The church was full of people, many were standing outside the place, and they were all just hearing the mass. No one was praying creeds or any other personal prayer.
This year, a friend of mine made a promise to God to visit the 7 temples in Medellin, and she invited me. She calculated a route of more than 4 miles, it would be a 3-hour walk. And I realized that in this city, this tradition doesn’t exist either, or at least not too many people follow it.
In my hometown San Cristóbal, the streets would be full of pilgrims on Holy Thrusday and Friday. Many people would make promises or simply thank God by walking to the temples. Children are often dressed in purple, and many adults as well. I haven’t seen one single Colombian dressed like that. Once they get to the church, they would walk to the altar on their knees. It’s an amazing show of appreciation, belief, thankfulness, and mostly, tradition.
Here, people would only listen to mass and burn candles. I miss the streets filled with believers, walking with my family and getting to see people we know doing the same thing. I even miss the churches I usually visited. One day I will walk the 7 temples in my hometown again.
