Pilgrims on horseback celebrate Cuasimodo festival

Thousands of Catholic pilgrims gathered in the Chilean city of Colina on Sunday for a traditional festival held on the first Sunday after Easter.

The first Sunday after Easter is known as Divine Mercy Sunday. The celebration is known as the Cuasimodo, or Quasimodo, festival. The festival is said to date back to colonial times, when priests relied on huasos to protect them from bandits.

On Sunday, the pilgrims accompanied a priest on a 35 kilometres journey to deliver communion. They were joined by many other faithful, dressed in their finest, who travelled in horse drawn carts, on bikes, or even on foot.