Page 48 - Eternal San Miguel de Allende

The Friday night before Holy Week is called Viernes de Dolores, or La Dolorosa, and the courtyard of the house is transformed into an elaborate altar with an intricate carpet made entirely of purple sawdust, bordered with bitter oranges and the chapel- grown albino wheat.
I was once allowed to see the complex preparations and noticed that the hands of the man who helps assemble the display were stained a deep purple from many days of dyeing sawdust.
When all is ready, the giant doors are thrown open for only a few hours, and hundreds of people file through the courtyard to view this stunning altar to the Sorrowful Mother.
A tradition unique to San Miguel is the giving away of free homemade fruit popsicles to all who come see the altars. The popsicles represent the sweet tears of the Virgin Mary for the loss of her son, Jesus. Throughout the city, these altars are constructed on Viernes de Dolores, each more complex than the other. As the crowds file past, a countless number of popsicles are handed out to the solemn multitudes. v
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