IN SEARCH OF ETERNAL BLISS: THE FEAST OF THE NINOPAN REPRESENTATIONAL FEAST

Xochimilco, a place rich in traditions, is where the Feast of the Ninopan takes place a celebration in honour of the baby Jesus figure which is a sculpture from the 16th Century. The feast starts every 2nd February with the presentation of the child to the church 40 days after birth and ends on the 6th January with the Three Wise Men's offering as described in the Holy Scriptures. All this is carried out by the faithful of the image in a time and space far from the everyday. With a representational theoretical base as well as the representation scriptures respectively put forward by Schechner and Weisz, the feast of the Ninopan as a representation celebration will be discussed, a parallel activity to the scenic business, due to its position as a ritual of social identity in Mexico.