This week from April 10 to 16, Holy Week is celebrated in Colombia. This is a time when hundreds of people arrive in the capital of the country during their days off both to celebrate religious services and to take advantage of Bogotá’s extensive tourist and recreational offerings.
If you are a foreign citizen and are in the city during these days, this is the perfect opportunity for you to get to know several of the best known traditions of the local culture. Here are some options for you to enjoy this season:
Visit the Sanctuary of Monserrate
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One of the most important religious and tourist destinations in the city is Monserrate mountain. Here you’ll find the Basilica of the Lord of Monserrate, a temple that has been preserved as a place of religious pilgrimage in a tradition that dates back to colonial times and has remained alive for all these centuries.
You can reach the top of the hill by cable car, funicular, or on foot along a path recognized for its rich nature on display and the variety of traditional food stalls at the end of the climb. Of course, we must bear in mind that - according to the District Institute of Recreation and Sport (IDRD, as per the acronym in Spanish) - this path will be open to climb only from Thursday 14 to Sunday 17, between 5:00 a.m. and noon.
In the following tweet, the IDRD shares a series of recommendations to keep in mind when ascending the Monserrate trail.
✨⛪ En esta Semana Santa esperamos más de 60mil visitantes en el sendero de Monserrate.
— 🟨🟥Recreación y Deporte (@IDRD) April 9, 2022
⏰Entre el 10 de abril y el 17 de abril , abrirá de 5:00am a 12:00m.
🚨 Recuerda que los martes el sendero cierra por mantenimiento.#SomosEquipoBogotápic.twitter.com/qVkxfaDESn
Stations of the Cross in the Egipto neighborhood
Another activity of great cultural relevance is the ceremony of the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday in the Egipto neighborhood, in which thousands of parishioners participate in a procession as a representation of Jesus' journey to the cross described in the Bible. This custom has been observed for more than 40 years. On this day, the residents’ care, ingenuity, and passion put into the scenic component of the event that makes it way through the streets of the town of La Candelaria stand out.
Below, a tweet from the Local Mayor's Office of La Candelaria inviting religious tourism in this area of the city.
📢 El turismo religioso es otra forma de conocer las raíces y riqueza cultural de una ciudad. #EnamórateDeLaCandelaria ⛪️⛪️ pic.twitter.com/Ok8idZ0hqG
— Alcaldía Local de La Candelaria (@Alcandelaria_) April 11, 2022
Sports activities in parks
More than 5200 parks will be open to the public this week with a variety of IDRD-supported activities available to visitors. Some of the most renowned in the city are the Simón Bolívar Park, the Ciudad Montes Park and the Parque de los Novios – the latter offers activities from the rental of grills and picnic areas, to kayaking and paddleboats.
Plays
If you are more interested in indoor activities, a wide range of works will also be available throughout the week as part of the Ibero-American Theatre Festival supported by the District Institute of the Arts, Idartes. You can enjoy world-class theatre culture in plays such as "El Perdón", "Historia de una Oveja", "Song of the North", and "Lecturas al Fuego" that will be held between April 14 and 16, all without having to leave the city.
