A video (here, here and here) showing a large Easter procession is viral on social media. The claim accompanying this video states it shows an Easter celebration in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). We fact-check this claim through this article.
Claim: The viral video shows an Easter procession in the United Arab Emirates.
Fact: The video actually shows a Catholic procession of ‘Jesús Nazareno de la Merced’ or ‘Jesus of Nazareth of Humility’ taking place in Antigua, Guatemala. Therefore, the claim made in the post is False.
To determine the authenticity of the viral video, we split the footage into keyframes and ran a reverse image search. This led us to a longer version (Archive) of the viral video, showcasing the same procession with the statue of Jesus Christ.
The video, titled “Marcha Fúnebre “Al Señor de la Merced” Jesús nazareno de la Merced, Domingo de Ramos 2023,” was published in April 2023.
Google search results indicated that the video shows the procession of the ‘Jesús Nazareno de la Merced’ idol from the Catholic church ‘Iglesia de La Merced,’ located (archive) in the city of Antigua, Guatemala.
The flag of Guatemala (here and here) is also visible in the viral video, making it clear that the video is not from the United Arab Emirates.
‘Jesús Nazareno de la Merced’ is a statue belonging (here, here (archive) and here (archive)) to the ‘Iglesia de La’ church. It is traditionally paraded during the holy week in Antigua, Guatemala.
Additional footage of the same procession can be found here, here and here. The specific building seen in the viral video can be spotted here (archive). You can find a comparison between this building in the viral video and a few photos uploaded by Google users in the following collage.
To sum up, the video in question does not depict an Easter celebration in the United Arab Emirates as claimed. Rather, it shows a religious procession in Antigua, Guatemala.
