Our Lady of Mercies Day

Well, it's almost 10am here in the bustling center part of the city of Santo Domingo, and I can barely hear a peep. Today is a national holiday, El Dia de las Mercedes, and everything is closed... which means that people who hardly ever get to sleep in are getting to.

Today, September 24th, is the 392nd anniversary of the proclamation of the Our Lady of Mercies (La Virgen de las Mercedes) as the patron saint of the Dominican Republic and the island of Hispaniola as a whole. A series of events are being held to commemorate this event, which is a national holiday, but most importantly, six Masses will be celebrated in honor of the patron saint, followed by a procession through the Colonial Zone (which is just a couple of blocks from where we live).

It is claimed that Mercedes was seen at the very first major battle between Europeans and American Indians, was a clash not only of warriors and weaponry, but of traditions and beliefs. The Taínos (the natives who orginally lived on Hispanola) did not know that Spaniards fought to the death, or at least until one side officially surrendered and a treaty agreement was negotiated, spelling out the terms of both the conquest and the defeat. Conversely, the Spaniards did not know that Taínos fought (albeit rarely) until one side was clearly the winner.

Anyway, at about 9 PM, the main confessor of Christopher Columbus claimed that he saw a light descend and envelop the cross, while a lady dressed all in white, with a baby in her arms, appeared on the right arm of the cross. He declared that the Virgen de las Mercedes (“The Virgin of Blessings”) had come to save the day for the Spaniards. The interesting thing is that both sides thought they had won because of the differing rules of war.

Oh, I just heard the avacado guy who walks by our house ten times a day with his cart shouting out that he has avacados (aguacate). I guess things are starting to pick up... :)