Last weekend, the International Book Fair of the University of Guanajuato (FILUG) coincided with one of the state's most representative traditions: the Friday of Sorrows, bringing to the stage of the Juárez Theater a program that combines identity, memory, and artistic expression. The Folkloric Ballet of the University of Guanajuato (BAFUG) leads this agenda with the production 'Day of the Flowers and Friday of Sorrows on the Royal Land of the Interior,' which will be presented this Thursday, the 26th, at 7:00 PM at the Juárez Theater, as a prelude to the fair's closing weekend. Tradition on stage. The program revisits the origin of the Friday of Sorrows, celebrated on the sixth Friday of Lent, when the city—especially the Garden of the Union—fills with flowers, altars, and offerings dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Through dance and music, the production reconstructs that symbolic landscape: popular devotion, the mining heritage of the Royal Land, and the collective sense that has made this date one of the most identity-forming for Guanajuato. Tickets cost 156 pesos general and 116 pesos preferential, available at the university box office and on the day of the event at the venue. Books, publishing, and critical thinking. In parallel, FILUG maintains its editorial vocation with activities such as the Plenary Meeting of University Editions Calligraphy, to be held on Friday, March 27th, at 1:00 PM at the University of Guanajuato Bookstore. The meeting brings together publishing specialists to reflect on the book as a cultural object: design, typography, and editing processes. The last cultural call. The closing of FILUG—from Friday, the 27th, to Sunday, the 29th of March—thus concentrates a dual experience: on the one hand, the book fair as a space for intellectual dialogue; on the other, the activation of living traditions that connect the city with its history. With activities distributed throughout the day on university campuses and evening functions in venues like the Juárez Theater, the fair enters its final stretch with an agenda open to the public. For those looking for a last-minute plan, the recommendation is clear: this is the weekend to catch the fair... and live the Friday of Sorrows from the cultural heart of Guanajuato. Furthermore, this edition of FILUG is distinguished by the participation of honorary guest universities such as the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education and the Polytechnic University of Valencia, which reinforces its international and academic character. The program not only pays homage to figures like Jaime Sabines but also articulates the dialogue between tradition and contemporary knowledge, positioning Guanajuato as a meeting point between global university culture and the local expressions that mark its identity.
