Hace un año, por casualidad, estuve en la ceremonia de beatificación de José Gregorio Hernández. La beatificación como tal ocurrió en un templo del colegio La Salle, muy cerca del Waraira Repano, con solo 150 invitados, ya que en esos momentos continuábamos encerrados por la pandemia, en esa no estuve, este hecho ocurrió el 30 de abril de 2021. Cerca de mi casa, en la Iglesia de la Candelaria, donde reposan los restos de José Gregorio, se develó una estatua en su honor, y fue una semana de preparativos y remozamientos. Le despojaron espacio a la plaza, para poder erigir el monumento.
Decenas de personas se agolparon para rendir homenaje y escapar un poco de la rutina del encierro pandémico. Yo me les uní, no para buscar la salvación de mi alma, sino por pura investigación antropológica. O chisme, como quieran llamarlo. La develación de la estatua se demoró mas de 5 horas, tiempo que aproveché para comprar y configurar un router inalámbrico para mi casa.
Fue muy emocionante cuando por fin revelaron la estatua, las personas allí presentes comenzaron a cantar, otros rezaban y mas de uno vendía baratijas y mascarillas con la imagen de “El Venerable”, nombre impuesto al beato desde ese momento. Para mí, que soy agnóstica y que no creo en estampas ni figuras de santos, me pareció emotiva la reacción de la gente, así que me uní al jolgorio, rendida a sus rezos y compartiendo consignas salvadoras que buscaban librarnos del covid19.
Espero se pueda apreciar, a través de las fotos, el ambiente de festividad de un pueblo, que arrasado por la pandemia y la peor crisis económica se lanzó a la calle a cantar junto a su beato, en un canto colectivo de unión ante la adversidad.
Gracias por el tiempo que tomaste en ver las fotografías
Todas las imágenes son propias, si necesitas usarlas, puedes hacerlo, solo haz referencia
a este blog, para dar crédito al autor
#English
MONOMAD - Devoted crowd to José Gregorio Hernández / This is my entry for the #monomad challenge
Greetings to photography lovers! It is the first time we publish in this beautiful community, since I entered the platform I was seduced by the images captured in each of the challenges. I had the pending task not only to join, but to participate more actively in each of the proposals and initiatives that the community proposes.
A year ago, by chance, I was at the beatification ceremony of José Gregorio Hernández. The beatification as such took place in a temple of the La Salle school, very close to the Waraira Repano, with only 150 guests, since at that time we were still locked up because of the pandemic, I was not there, this event took place on April 30, 2021. Near my house, in the Candelaria Church, where the remains of José Gregorio rest, a statue was unveiled in his honor, and it was a week of preparations and renovations. The square was cleared of space in order to erect the monument.
Dozens of people crowded around to pay homage and escape a little from the routine of the pandemic confinement. I joined them, not to seek the salvation of my soul, but for pure anthropological research. Or gossip, whatever you want to call it. The unveiling of the statue took more than 5 hours, time that I used to buy and configure a wireless router for my house.
It was very exciting when they finally unveiled the statue, the people present there began to sing, others prayed and more than one sold trinkets and masks with the image of "El Venerable", the name given to the Blessed from that moment on. For me, an agnostic who does not believe in holy cards or figures of saints, I found the reaction of the people moving, so I joined in the revelry, surrendering to their prayers and sharing saving slogans that sought to free us from covid19.
I hope you can appreciate, through the photos, the festive atmosphere of a people who, devastated by the pandemic and the worst economic crisis, took to the streets to sing along with their blessed, in a collective song of unity in the face of adversity.
Thank you for the time you took to view the photographs
All images are my own, if you need to use them, you can do it, just make reference to this blog, to give credit to the author.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator
