A feast day of flowers

TENANCINGO, Mexico (CNS) -- The preparation took weeks, but finally all the elaborate floral arrangements were in place.

More than a million flowers were used in the arrangements at Santa Ana Ixtlahuatzingo Catholic Church in preparation for the parish's feast day: July 26, feast of St. Anne, grandmother of Jesus, and St. Joachim, his grandfather.

Several hundred volunteers worked for three weeks to prepare lattices and designs; flowers were placed in the final three days before the celebration. Arrangements included animal forms, rosaries and passages from the Bible.

The region surrounding the church is a major producer and exporter of flowers, and all the flowers used to decorate the church are donated.