Video of a Very Mexican Holy Saturday Vigil: Merida, Yucatan

Cristo Resucitado (Resurrected Christ),  Merida MX

Cristo Resucitado (Resurrected Christ), Merida MX

The biblical narrative does not have much to say about what went on inside of Jesus' tomb; by the next morning he simply reappears in his resurrected state,.  In Latin America, much is made over the transition of Jesus from death to resurrected life and there is often a service late Holy Saturday night that celebrates this event.  Here is a link to a video of one such service.  It was shot in Merida MX and what happens in the vigil service will surprise you as much as it did me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMzCIxbLHWA

The Resurrection of Jesus on Good Friday Night in Mexico (includes Video)

Processional figure of the tortured Christ,  Merida, MX

The following video shows a very dramatic Good Friday night service that I filmed in Merida, Mexico.    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMzCIxbLHWA  (this is a clickable link).  It is best to watch it after reading the information in this post.                                                       ------------------------------------
This coming Sunday is Palm Sunday, the day, according to the New Testament, that Jesus made his entry into Jerusalem.  It is the beginning of Holy Week, a time that is celebrated with much ritual and many processions throughout the Latin American world.
Holy Week, there, is very different from the observance in mainstream U.S. religion, in which Easter Day itself is the main event.  In Mexico, Easter Day is just another Sunday, with church services; the drama is what comes before.

Although the parades and processions that are at the heart of Holy Week in Mexico are fascinating to view, a unique celebration is the one held on the night of Good Friday which symbolizes the Resurrection of Jesus.  During this celebration the crucified Jesus is transformed into the resurrected, victorious Christ.  There is a special figure of this Christ,  Cristo Resucitado,  that appears in all churches after Good Friday and remains during the church season of Easter. 

Cristo Resucitado, Merida, MX

Cristo Resucitado

The religious service in which Jesus is symbolically resurrected occurs on the night of Good Friday, about 9:30 pm.  Different churches perform this service differently, but the resurrection of Jesus is always accompanied by light of some sort, as can be seen in the video.