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| Altar built for the Virgin |
As in many
other countries Nicaragua has its own unique and one-of-a-kind festivities.
Throughout the years, for over centuries, Purisimas are the shining star
celebrations of the months of November and December in the country. This
celebration is somewhat similar to Halloween, an odd comparison you might
think. While on one country kids go around houses asking for candies, in
Nicaragua people gather around altars made for the Virgin in churches,
companies, and neighbor houses to sing religious songs dedicated to the Virgin and
in return receiving boxes and plates of delicious food, traditional candies,
and toys for the kids. The truth is that many of us have the basic knowledge of
what Purisimas are and know that the main date of the Purisimas, also known as “the
Griterias,” is the 6th of December. Yet, not many of us stop to
wonder where the origin of such celebration comes from.
As in many
other places where there are many folk stories regarding the origin of the
festivities, the Purisimas of Nicaragua are no exception. As I made my research
about the origins of this celebration, I decided that the best story to share
would be the one which has been passed over through generations in my family of
how the Virgin Immaculate Conception arrived to Nicaragua; a story which I will
probably end up telling my kids.
According
to the tradition, the national patron saint of Nicaragua, known as La Virgen del Trono or “The Virgin of
the Throne,”was taken from Spain to Nicaragua in the beginnings of the XVI
century during the time of colonization by Mr. Alonso Zepeda de Ahumada. He was
the brother of Saint Therese and was known for making trips between Spain and
America. It was in his last voyage that Saint Therese gave his brother the
image of the Virgin for him to take in his journey. This is the beginning of
the story.
After
months of travelling, Mr. Alonso Zepeda finally disembarked at the Port of El Realejo and arrived to a settlement
of natives. It was a routine of his to carry the Virgin in a niche on his back
and on a certain journey he sat under the shade of a tree to rest. When he
re-started his trip with the niche on his back, he felt that the niche weighed
less. It was then that he stopped to verify if the Virgin was inside and was surprised
to not find her inside the niche where he had left her. He then decided to return
to the tree to see if by any chance the image had fallen. When he got there,
the image of the Virgin was there to his surprise solemnly and silently resting
against the tree. He then picked her up and placed the Virgin back in the niche
and went on his path. As he started walking he suddenly realized that again the
niche felt light. He stopped to verify it and the Virgin was not there. Returning
to the tree, he found her. This happened many times. The Virgin always returned
below the shade of that tree where he rested. It was then that he understood that
the Virgin wanted to stay there.
As a sign
of respect and in honor of the Virgin’s desire to stay where she lay, he decided to build a
church in that place so she could have a home where to rest in forever. Not a
long time after, Mr. Alonso, who was a very elderly man, (which is why the
natives called him El Viejo or the
old man), fell ill and passed away, leaving the Virgin in that same place. After
his death, the natives, as a sign of respect, started calling the Virgin as Nuestra Señora del Viejo or our lady of
the old man, and so, the settlement took the name of El Viejo.
Countless are the miracles of this Virgin, which is visited in her festivities every December sixth by all her promesantes or promisers in a celebration called Lavada de la Plata or The Cleaning of the Silverware. The famous Purisimas and Griterias are derived from the worship of this Virgin.
- Ramiro Lopez
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