Admittedly, I'm not a religious person though I am always intrigued by religion and how cultures recognize religious events and locations. A few years ago while visiting a friend in a small village in the south of France, the village had their annual procession for the Stations of the Cross to start the Easter weekend. The villagers have been doing this for decades, dressing in costumes and leading the entire village to each station. It really was quite a site to see.
Last summer I had the opportunity to visit Israel including Jerusalem and spent time visiting the original Via Dolorosa and the Stations of the Cross right in to the Holy Sepulchre. Regardless of what you believe walking the streets of Jerusalem (in all districts) is one of the most amazing places on earth. It's heavy - very heavy - but every stone has history that scans history right up until today. Even entering the city through the (now closed, I believe) crossing point from Jordon through the DMZ and the West Bank was amazing. Anyway, the night photos are from Roquebrune village (officially Roquebrune-Cap Martin) and the rest, from Jerusalem. More photos after the jump.
Lighting the candles for one of the Stations of the Cross.
One of the Stations of the Cross during the procession.
The procession in the village on Good Friday.
A Jerusalem street sign for the famous street.
Above, Station VI on the Via Dolorosa where Veronica met Jesus and wiped his face as he carried the cross.
In the Holy Sepulchre where Jesus was cleansed after death. Crowds of people would gather to touch the stone, often crying and placing objects on it. The occasional outbursts of crying with hair pulling and laying parts of their body on the slab could be somewhat odd to an outsider like myself. Interesting to observe though.
