This past week was Semana Santa, or Holy Week, the week between Palm Sunday and Easter. It is celebrated throughout Guatemala with religious processions. Guatemala City had 14 processions during the week, each sponsored by a different Catholic church or cathedral. Participants carry heavy, wooden floats around town, bearing various life-sized, religious icons from their church. The one we attended in the city required about 50 men to carry the image of Jesus. Women carried a similar float with Mary's image. They slowly sway to the beat of the drum or the music from the band, preceded by burning incense. This procession on Wednesday was 11 hours long, as it winds through the city at this slow pace. We stayed for the first hour, where they traveled about two blocks!
Before the procession begins, they decorate the road with hand-made carpets of colored sawdust, flowers, leaves, and pine needles. This reminded us of the palm boughs placed before Jesus when he came into Jerusalem. In the small town of San Juan on the shore of Lake Atitlan, we saw them preparing this carpet for their procession on Friday night. It is not strictly a Catholic affair, but a cultural tradition. Rick spoke with a man who is Evangelical who said that he was only working half the day in order to help with the carpets. In the neighboring village of San Marcos the entrance to the church was decorated with hanging fruit. These traditions are all different ways of showing remembrance of the sacrifice and resurrection of our Savior.
