Day of the Holy Cross and Construction Worker
On May 3, many countries in Latin America, including Guatemala of course, celebrate the Day of the Holy Cross and also the Day of the Construction Worker. The Day of the Holy Cross is known in Guatemala as Día de la Santa Cruz and you can see many Albañiles (construction workers) placing an adorned cross at their current construction site.
The legend has it that when they were unburying Jerusalem, they found three crosses, one of them larger than the other two. When some of the diggers touch the larger cross, their ailments healed and the cross were thought to be miraculous. The priests on site called a funeral passing by and the dead man’s hand was made to touch the cross and he resurrected and walked away. The cross was taken immediately to Rome, the Vatican to be precise, and a chapel was built for it. This chapel was built in record time and for this reason and for the fact that the man who resurrected was a construction worker who had died while at work a few days earlier, this date became the day of the construction worker. All of this as seen on tv, a few details more or less.
Also, I just learned that for 4th time there will a Festival de la Santa Cruz which this year will be held on Sunday between 10am and 6pm at Cerro de La Cruz; thus the photo above. I will try to stop by and bring you some photos, videos and information about this festival. Stay tune!
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