Praying from the window

The old lady was praying from the window of her apartment with a rosary in hand, during the procession of Corpus Christi. A beautiful demonstration of faith.

Today ends our journey through NYC. At the end of the day we will embark back to Curitiba and to the cold. We are happy to have made an unforgettable trip and also because we are coming home.

Remaining images of Corpus Christi holliday

These are two nice remaining pictures of Corpus Christi holliday that I would like to share. Both were made by the carpet where the Bishop went on Cândido de Abreu Avenue toward the Civic Center.

Photographing the photographers

On the day of Corpus Christi, on my way from the Shopping Mueller, where I left my car and the Cathedral, where the procession would leave, I saw many interesting scenes and some of them were recorded by me.

These three photographers (or perhaps fellow photography students) were sitting on the curb of Avenida Cândido de Abreu, adjusting their machines and awaiting the moment of passage of the procession. One of the girls noticed my presence, which has tightened up the image.

The gentleman and his Panama hat

A Panama hat or just Panama is a traditional brimmed hat of Ecuadorian origin that is made from the plaited leaves of the toquilla straw plant (Carludovica palmata). Straw hats woven in Ecuador, like many other 19th and early 20th century South American goods, were shipped first to the Isthmus of Panama before sailing for their destinations in Asia, the rest of the Americas and Europe. For some products, the name of their point of international sale rather than their place of domestic origin stuck, hence “Panama hats.” The 49ers picked up these hats in Panama, and when President Theodore Roosevelt visited the Panama Canal construction, he wore such a hat, which increased its popularity. They're also known as a Jipijapa, named for a town in Ecuador, one of the centers of the hat trade. The Oxford English Dictionary cites a use of the term as early as 1834.

Glorified during the 19th century, the Panama has since been considered the prince of straw hats. Ecuadorian national hero and emblematic figure, Eloy Alfaro helped finance his liberal revolution of Ecuador through the export of panamas. The reputation of the hat was established by Napoleon III, Edward VII, and some other aficionados.

This gentleman photo, with his Panama hat on his head and a bag of popcorn in hand, was waiting patiently next to the Cathedral, the procession of Corpus Christi.

Blind faith, sharpened knife

In excerpts from the short essay "The religious fanaticism among others " of the Professor Raymundo de Lima, Psychoanalyst, we find the following.

The bigot takes the place of slavery before the absolute master, who can be a god, a secular leader, an ultimate cause or blind faith. Fanaticism is powered by a system of absolute and irrational beliefs that aims to serve a powerful being committed to the fight against Evil. The fanatic does not talk, he makes speeches; ready speeches bears whose purpose is the preaching of a religious or political inculcation of ideas which may turn into an aggressive act.

In Brazil, the religious fanaticism has never had a prominent place in history. There are people who in the name of their faith, are able to donate all their goods, but I think they are a minority. There are in Brazil, other types of fanaticism, as the football that has presented sad and violent scenes (as in Curitiba in the last game of the Brazilian Championship of 2009). But fortunately we do not have to live with religious extremism and terrorism in all its forms. We are (Brazilians) a peaceful people.

The picture of the post was made inside the Cathedral Basilica at Tiradentes Square during the celebration of Corpus Christi.

Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi (Latin for Body of Christ) is a Western Catholic feast. It is also celebrated in some Anglican and Lutheran churches. It honors the Eucharist, and as such it does not commemorate a particular event in Jesus' life. It is held on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday or, in some places, on the following Sunday. Its celebration on a Thursday is meant to associate it with institution by Jesus of the Eucharist during the Last Supper, commemorated on Maundy Thursday, and this is the first free Thursday after Paschaltide. In the current Ordinary form of the Roman rite of the Catholic Church, the feast is officially known as the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.

The celebration of Corpus Christi became widespread only after both St. Juliana and Bishop Robert de Thorete had died. In 1263 Pope Urban IV investigated claims of a Eucharistic miracle at Bolsena, in which a consecrated host began to bleed. In 1264 he issued the papal bull Transiturus de hoc mundo in which Corpus Christi was made a feast throughout the entire Latin Rite. This was the very first papally sanctioned universal feast in the history of the Latin Rite.

In Curitiba, Corpus Christi rugs were made to the fullest extent of the Avenues Barão do Serro Azul and Cândido de Abreu from Cathedral Square to the Civic Center to accommodate the procession. The mat assembled for the procession, which took place yesterday afternoon, was made with five tons of materials and it was 1.5 kilometers long.

The celebration in front of the Cathedral Basilica began at 3 P.M. After the Mass, which lasted about an hour and a half, the faithful followed in procession toward the Civic Center on Avenida Cândido de Abreu. The celebration ended with a solemn blessing. It is estimated that 100 000 people attended the procession in Curitiba.