VIDEO: Costa Rica processions commemorate Good Friday

All across Costa Rica, thousands of worshipers gathered in churches and plazas on Friday to join las procesiones, religious parades that honor the life of Jesus Christ. The queue was a mix of Roman soldiers, robed apostles, winged angels and a mannequin representing the messiah himself.

Founded in Spain and celebrated throughout Latin America, the processions are an essential part of Holy Week. While hordes of Ticos migrate to Pacific and Caribbean beaches for seven straight days of parties, traditional towns stage their own reenactments of the crucifixion.

The Tico Times attended one such performance in downtown San José, followed by a funeral march in San Miguel de Escazú. Traditionally, the crucifixion takes place in the morning, followed by church services, then a mournful promenade at sunset. Despite two earthquakes, the processions went on without incident.