TENANCINGO, Mexico — 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.

Here are some images from the preparations and the feast day:

An image of Mary is pictured surrounded by floral arrangements inside Santa Ana Ixtlahuatzingo Catholic Church in Tenancingo, Mexico, July 26, 2022. The floral arrangements were for thefeast of the church’s patron saint, St. Anne, Mary's mother. (CNS photo/David Maung)
Volunteers help clean outside an entrance to Santa Ana Ixtlahuatzingo Catholic Church in Tenancingo, Mexico, July 25, 2022. The preparations were for the next day’s feast of the church’s patron saint, St. Anne, grandmother of Jesus. (CNS photo/David Maung)
A boy helps with floral arrangements inside Santa Ana Ixtlahuatzingo Catholic Church in Tenancingo, Mexico, July 25, 2022. The preparations were for the next day’s feast of the church’s patron saint, St. Anne, grandmother of Jesus. (CNS photo/David Maung)
Members of a traditional dance group perform outside Santa Ana Ixtlahuatzingo Catholic Church in Tenancingo, Mexico, July 26, 2022, during a celebration on the feast of the church’s patron saint, St. Anne, grandmother of Jesus. (CNS photo/David Maung)