Tenjo (Cundinamarca) launches campaign that proposes to change the wax palm for a native plant at Easter

The municipality of Tenjo, located in the central Sabana of the department of Cundinamarca, within the framework of its commitment to the environment and awareness for the proper use of environmental resources, launched a campaign saying “NO” to the use of wax palm during religious ceremonies that take place during this time of year .

Through the campaign “Holy Week with Environmental Awareness”, the municipal administration is telling the inhabitants of the region that during the celebration of the major week they do not use the emblematic wax palm and instead use a native plant.

According to Jairo Rey, secretary of Economic Development and Environment of the municipality: “The wax palm is very important for Tenjo, because in the Carrasquilla village, via la Punta, we have 49 of them. It seems that one was in another sector, in another part of the country like in Quindio.”

The idea is that once the parishioners attend the traditional religious events that will begin next Palm Sunday, they will go to one of the 69 properties of the municipality and plant the plant they have purchased in one of the municipal nurseries.

“We want to make people aware that the wax palm is a national tree that has protection because it is in a period of extinction. What we do not want is for this national tree to be extinct and that, instead of bringing the wax palm, the community brings a native tree,” said Secretary Rey.

For Mayor Sonia Patricia González Bernal, this gesture carries a message of life: “When we use the palm in this type of ceremony, it ceases to exist a few days later, but if we preferably sow a nuance it will last over time and every time we see it we will remember those reflections we have made during this time of year.”

Holy Week in Colombia: Increase in Tourists Reported for Religious Celebration

Palm Sunday kicks off this special season for Catholics, which is celebrated by bringing plants to temples to remember Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem.

This year, the holiday is celebrated on April 10 and later on Holy Thursdays and Fridays, which are considered holidays, end up annexed to the rest an extended weekend that gives rise to many to visit new destinations.

In this regard, there are several regions that make available to visitors not only a variety of gastronomic and cultural plans, but also the possibility of participating in these religious festivities.

In the case of international tourism, visitors mostly from the United States, Mexico, Chile, Costa Rica and Spain account for 31,859 air bookings that correspond to 52.8% of the trips that will take place in the country during this season. Likewise, the data indicate that the most visited destinations will be Bogotá, which will receive 19,311 visitors (60.6 per cent of the national total); followed by Cartagena and Medellin, with 4,662 and 4,576 bookings respectively.

“The 2022 Easter season represents a clear step for international tourism in the country from revival to growth. After the most critical months of the pandemic, this year we see a clear increase in the arrival of non-resident visitors, which speaks highly of the joint work between the National Government, the private sector and the unions in promoting Colombia as a destination and in plans for the reactivation of the sector,” said Flavia Santoro, president of ProColombia.

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