Higuey on January 21:
The Altagracia feast began in Higuey, a sugar cane city to the east of Santo Domingo. Every year the country celebrates Altagracia as if she were the patron of the country. In Paraíso, the celebrations start nine days before the actual feast. In te above picture, different bands and dancing teams march down the main street of Paraíso as the local mayor ushers in the annual event.
March for life:
The Dominican Republic has laws which prohibit Abortion. However these laws are usually under threat by powerful interest groups which seek to expand the business of medical interventions during pregnancy. Recently the country almost saw the abortion laws overturned by a majority in the Senate. Virtudes holds the sign expressing the intention of our little group that marched for life before the Mass which started the Altagracia novena. Brachi is the little girl to the left of Virtudes.
Participation:
As with many causes and movements, the march for life attracted few youth or adults. Back in the 1980´s the Dominican Republic had many protest marches for all kinds of issues. That was the time when students readily took to the streets to demand changes. Will such a spirit return to the youth of another time? The present wave of young people have yet to show signs that they believe in something worth marching for. Self-sacrifice does not earn the respect that it had in other times in the country´s history.
The banners in the wind:
As Brachi and her friends moved down the street, they sang: "Que viva la Virgen de la Altagracia" (long live the Lady of Altagracia). For a moment the town stopped to contemplate the novelty of children marching for a cause. But then the observations of Jesus himself came back into focus... "We sang you a tune but you would not dance; we played you a sad song, but you would not cry." How beautiful to watch the children dancing for life!
