Montería bishop Julio Cesar Vidal Ortiz asked the organizers of a local
donkey festival to postpone the festive activities until January,
because the annual festivities are inappropriate during the Holy Week.
The San Antero, Córdoba donkey festival is traditionally held the week before Easter to honor the animal that’s so important for Colombian agriculture and in some parts of the coast for recreational activities. The festival also draws tourists to the village’s beaches.
But according to the Church, the Holy Week is a week of contemplation, reflection and to come closer to God, not to celebrate hoofed animals.
The bishop claims the donkey festival constitutes a desecration of the holy days and has serious consequences, allowing for evil to take over the men and communities that deviate from God.
January would be a better time to celebrate the festival, the Church says.
