The Lord of the Tribulations celebrated its traditional procession last night, marking 131 years since Santa Cruz City Council agreed that the road name of the East would be dedicated to the Lord of the Tribulations, along with a photographic representation of the effigy to be recorded.
In 1893, the city experienced a cholera epidemic that claimed the lives of 382 individuals, with this area being one of the most affected within the municipality. The spread of the illness abated shortly after the Ecce Homo image had passed through the neighbourhood streets in a Rogative procession and was subsequently carried in a gratitude procession. This act of faith has since accompanied the throne, showered with petals cast by residents from their balconies, alongside carpets of flowers that adorn its considerable route.
The air was filled with floral aromas, enveloped in devotion, as this religious event unfolded with solemnity, beginning from the Church of San Francisco and progressing through the streets of Villalba Hervás, Valentín Sanz, La Rosa (which could not be crossed due to construction at the Salesian school), Santa Rosalía, Santiago, San Francisco Javier, San Miguel, and Lord of the Tribulations, where the procession returned to the parish.
The procession was met with applause, cheers, and contained emotions, particularly in light of last year when the throne was unable to make its procession twice due to inclement weather, necessitating an extraordinary permit from the Bishop of Nivaria to fulfil its duty days later during Holy Week.
The procession also concluded on the shoulders of the faithful after altering the direction of the throne.
In a similar vein, the Central-Iphara District has organised complementary activities in honour of the Lord of Santa Cruz, including a theatrical event on the 10th that examined the 1893 epidemic and the Lord of the Tribulations from a historical perspective, presented between Plaza de San Francisco and Plaza de la Candelaria.
