Basílica of Suyapa
|
Virgin of Suyapa Festival
|
When:
|
2 - 11 Feb 2008 (annual)
|
|
Where:
|
Sanctuaria de Suyapa
|
The Virgin of Suyapa stands eight centimetres high but she is worshipped with a passion worthy of a giant. Pilgrims come from far and wide to pray to the tiny wooden image, dwarfed in its grand church, the Basílica de Suyapa in Tegucigalpa.
Lavish ceremonies and processions take place in honour of her saint's day on 3 February. Also the patron saint of Honduras, she is the focus of nationwide attention on this day, so beware the crowds!
Suyapa is set in some of Honduras' most beautiful countryside, a land of rich forests famed for banana and pineapple plantations. The area around the little village is verdant and mountainous. A half-hour drive away is the magnificent Valle des Angeles, a 1000-metre high plain atop La Tigra mountain.
Please note: proceed with caution in Honduras, as some areas of the country have been known to be dangerous.
|