“When I do not walk in the clouds I walk as though I were lost.”
Antonio Porchia
Under a Cloudy Sky
As has been usual every beginning of the year, in the first days of January I go to the nearby town of Santa Rosa, before the traditional procession of the Divine Shepherdess, an event corresponding to Catholicism and that in the course of the last decades attracts a greater number of people, to such an extent that it has become the third largest and most attended Marian event in the world, behind those that take place in Mexico with the Virgin of Guadalupe and in Portugal with the Virgin of Fatima.
I usually walk the narrow streets of the town, since on those days vehicular traffic is completely restricted, and as the 14th, the day of the procession, approaches, the number of visitors multiplies exponentially. I usually visit the church where the image of the Virgin is exposed to the public, the Plaza Bolivar located in front and the many shops selling handicrafts and religious objects.
Usually the first days of the year in Venezuela are characterized by skies tinged with an intense blue and usually quite clear or with some presence of whitish or slightly grayish cloud formations that do not suggest the possibility of rains that are usually scarce at this time of the year.
Como ha sido usual cada inicio de año, en los primeros días del mes de Enero acudo a la cercana población de Santa Rosa, antes de realizarse la tradicional procesión de la Divina Pastora, un evento correspondiente al catolicismo y que en el transcurso de las últimas décadas atrae una mayor cantidad de personas, a tal punto que se ha convertido en el tercer evento mariano más grande y concurrido del mundo, por detrás de los que tienen lugar en México con la Virgen de Guadalupe y en Portugal con la Virgen de Fátima.
Normalmente recorro las estrechas calles del pueblo, puesto que en esos días se restringe por completo el tránsito vehicular, que en medida que se acerca el 14, día de la procesión, se multiplica exponencialmente el número de visitantes. Suelo visitar la iglesia donde se expone la imagen de la Virgen al público, la Plaza Bolívar ubicada al frente y los numerosos locales dedicados a la venta de artesanías y objetos religiosos.
Usualmente los primeros días del año en Venezuela se caracterizan por cielos teñidos de un azul intenso y normalmente bastantes despejados o con alguna presencia de formaciones de nubes blancuzcas o ligeramente grisáceas que no sugieren la posibilidad de lluvias que suelen ser escasas en estas fechas.
All the Photos are of my Authorship, as well as the Edition of the same ones.
This is my entry for the #LoveTheClouds Contest. This is an initiative of @tobetada.
Here is the link with all the information in case you wish to participate. I hope you enjoy it.
| Camera: | Samsung Galaxy A12 |
| Photo Editor: | Picsart / Snapseed |
| Location: | Santa Rosa, Lara, Venezuela |
| Date: | 07-01-2023 |