For the Seville Festival of the Immaculate Conception, the local people come out to see the procession of all the groups of student minstrels called "tunas" from the city and the surrounding area, who come to sing to the Virgin Mary. The show and the fun go on into the early hours. The next day there is the traditional "dance of the sixes", where children dressed in celestial costumes in white and gold, sing and dance in the Cathedral.
The Immaculate Conception of Mary is, according to Catholic doctrine, the conception of the Virgin Mary without any stain ("macula" in Latin) of Original Sin. It is one of the four dogmas in Roman Catholic Mariology. Under this aspect Mary is sometimes called the Immaculata (the Immaculate One), particularly in artistic contexts.
The doctrine states that, from the first moment of her existence, Mary was preserved by God from the Original Sin and filled with sanctifying grace that would normally come with baptism after birth. Catholics believe Mary "was free from any personal or hereditary sin". Mary's immaculate conception should not be confused with the Incarnation of her son Jesus Christ; the conception of Jesus is celebrated as the Annunciation to Mary. Catholics do not believe that Mary, herself, was the product of a Virgin Birth.
No comments:
Post a Comment