Mompox is a city rich in traditions but the most important and which becomes an icon of our land is the celebration of Holy Week.
Mompóx is full of pious acts and popular religiosity inherited from Spanish colonization, but it also has indigenous and very unique elements that over time have been added to the tradition that make it unique and different from other celebrations in the country and the world, such as the way of leading the pasos (marches) or the beautiful music performed during the processions (marchas); even those who have had the opportunity to see it describe it as strange but at the same time interesting, simply something out of the ordinary.
It is the first Holy Week that begins, on Maundy Thursday with the procession of the Paso Robao (3 days before Palm Sunday) and the last that ends, on Easter Monday with the procession of the Pae Jesús or Jesús Nazareno.
The celebration of our Holy Week is inspired by Sevillian traditions, since its first settlers after the founding of the city came from this Andalusian region in southern Spain and brought their customs with them.
This festival was instilled by the various religious orders that settled in the city, which would establish their respective temples and convents, advancing their evangelizing work. The first religious to arrive in Mompox were the Dominicans, one of whose first activities was the celebration of Holy Week, officiated by Fray Luis Bertran in 1564. It is also worth noting that the historian Don Pedro Salcedo del Villar, in his Historical Notes, comments how years later in the Valerosa City during Lent of 1643, Jesuit priests were exclusively dedicated to pious exercises during those days, and that the jubilee was celebrated very solemnly. All with the participation of the people, who wondered if that year Holy Week had been anticipated, which was already celebrated in the Valerosa with pious solemnity. These are ancient ceremonies and processions, with a lot of tradition.
The processions of Good Friday (called the Farewell or Paso Robado), Holy Thursday, and Good Friday are marches (two steps forward and one backward). It is the only Holy Week march in the country, which gives it an imposing and solemn rhythmic beauty. These celebrations are a source of pride for Mompox, attracting most of its absent children and fervent Christians who come to fulfill a meeting with God. Therefore, these are ancient celebrations and processions that truly shine, due to the beauty of their pasos, artistically arranged and decorated by different Mompox families who, during the days before Holy Week, dedicate themselves with great love to this arduous work so that everything in Mompox is an example of faith, devotion, and reverence.
Luis Alfredo Domínguez Hazbun
Cultural Manager Mompox
Instagram: @alfredompox