204/365
1:12pm
John has this inexplicable attraction to festivals. Maybe it was growing up with the Illinois State Fair in my backyard (ahh yes, that, my friends, is a good example of hyperbole), but I do not share his passion for fair culture. Or maybe it's because John has overdone it a bit. That said, I appreciated the religious procession of Festa Italiana on Milwaukee's Lakefront. I didn't fully understand all the symbolism at the moment, but felt the experience to be fairly rich, especially for a festival.
Because the researcher in me needs to know, I thought I'd share my discovery. Here, a painting of Mary holding Jesus is placed on a platform and lifted by a squad of about sixteen barefoot men. As they walk in the procession, they stop to gather onlookers, say a prayer, and allow others to decorate the stage with flowers or pin money as an offering to Mary to intercede on their behalf. Now that's a whole lot cooler than hanging out with carnies. Although I do hold some loyalty to life size butter cows.
No comments:
Post a Comment