Lakeside’s first extended religious celebration of 2018 will be Jocotepec’s fiestas patronales honoring El Señor del Monte, set for January 8 through 21.
The festivities start Monday, January 8, 6 p.m., when civil authorities and sponsoring trade guilds hold a procession to the parish church for the traditional pledge of faith to the town’s spiritual patron, the Lord of the Mount.
On subsequent dates spiritual activities begin daily with a 6 a.m. rosary service, picking up again at 6 p.m. for the evening procession preceding the celebration of Mass.
The fiestas culminate on Sunday, January 21, with the customary pilgrimage, held each year on the third Sunday of the month. The image of El Señor del Monte is carried out of the church at 4 p.m., to be paraded around the center of town accompanied by a throng of the devoted followers. As manifestations of faith, some will make the long trek on their knees, others will walk along barefooted and blindfolded, and many will carry elaborately decorated candles.
Allegiance to the image representing the Crucified Christ stems from a belief in answered prayers to alleviate lethal outbreaks of cholera that hit the town in 1833 and 1850, and the Spanish influenza pandemic of 1918.
Secular happenings that will draw the local populace and hundreds of outside visitors include bull-riding contests, cock fights, high decibel musical spectacles, mechanical rides, cultural events, and gigantic castillo firework displays set ablaze in the church atrium every night around 10 p.m. Consumers will find typical foods, clothing, household goods and other merchandise for sale in a bustling commercial fair set up on streets surrounding the church.