The procession of the Children of Mary, with the image of Our Lady of Grace and Hope, constitutes one of the most careful and emotional moments of Holy Week in Cieza. The carving that Manuel Carrillo sculpted in the 1930s, under a canopy and surrounded by candles and flowers, paraded again yesterday as it has done every Holy Thursday since 1976.
Once again, attention was drawn to the mantle of the Virgin, made with natural flowers and plants after meticulous work involving local florists and the brothers of the brotherhood themselves. On this occasion, mosaics were made with the sun and the moon in the center over the Latin phrase 'Mater et Regina Mundi' (Mother and Queen of the World).
The procession was led by two rows of Nazarenes, including dozens of children, which demonstrates the good health enjoyed by Holy Week in Cieza, declared of International Tourist Interest. Then the manolas and manolos passed by, dressed in rigorous mourning for the imminent death of Jesus. There were also symbolic references to the Cieza Más Vida Association and the Jubilee Year of Caravaca de la Cruz. Volunteer personnel from the Army also paraded, mostly from RAAA 73, which has been in procession for more than 20 years in Cieza and for 9 years with the Virgin of Grace and Hope.
The procession was closed by the presidency with the mayor, Tomás Rubio, at the head. Minutes before the parade began, the brotherhood held an event in which it welcomed this year's guest of honor, Domingo Camacho, director of Radio Murcia. With a mother from Cieza and belonging to the Brotherhood of the Santísimo Cristo de la Agonía, Camacho has always felt very linked to Cieza, where he feels like another countryman despite having been born in Villarrobledo (Albacete).
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