Well, do they ever celebrate Easter! It´s called Semana Santa (Holy Week), and it actually begins more than a month before hand. Each Friday leading up to Easter weekend there is a procession in the street that carries a huge Jesus float through town symbolizing his journey before the crusifiction. Palm Sunday (or Domingo de Ramos) begins the large processions with carpets called Alfombras (long designs they make in the street with fruit, wood shavings, flowers, and even bags of water; check out the pics on my webshots). Most everyone in Guatemala has off work from Wednesday till the following Monday. Thursday, Friday, and Sunday there are all processions carrying the Jesus and reinacting the different events. It´s almost as if you put on a real time play of the Easter story and everyone paraded in purple uniforms and walked over huge religious murals on the ground and had a huge fair and blasted loud greiving church music through town and you went to the beach (because everyone goes to the beach, I went to the local pool :P)
Pretty amazing.
More information about Antigua and the Processions
Also, I got a bunny. His name is Bigote (which means mustache in spanish). He enjoys fruit, carrots, cabage, my company, and watching the Office. Here is a picture of him in the paper-mache easter basket Kate and I made and decorated, :D
Peace, Love,
Robin
5 comments:
Robin:
Happy Easter!!! Love your little bunny. He is so cute! Enjoyed reading about their Easter celebrations.
Take Care & God Bless You,
Carol Massey
Looking forward to more pix of the mural--great job! Kiss the mustache for me...everyone at the Colonial Beach Art Walk says "hello" and sends their best. Love U More
Robin, Semana Santa is properly translated "Holy Week", and the Sunday before Easter is Palm Sunday, hence, Domingo de Ramos.
The violet tunics they wear when participating in a procession are intended to represent the traditional outfits of the Jews at the time of Chirst, not the KKK.
I have a few posts explaining these local traditions at my blog, GuateLiving.com, under the Religion category.
Best,
Mark
Thanks Mark for your more informative explinations.
Obviously thier uniforms have nothing to do with the KKK, I'll take that out because I suppose that could be misconstrued.
I read an article in the Prensa the other day that said some Guatemalans made alfumbras in the streets in Falls Church, VA and I'm sure there are many places to find good information in the US about the customs of Semana Santa.
I think I was watching a little too much of Michael on the Office and through imitation became slightly culturally insenstive.
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