A Holy Month

Semana Santa (Holy Week) is the biggest celebration of the year in Antigua.  It actually starts on Ash Wednesday; there are Processions every Sunday and Velaciones every Friday from then until Semana Santa itself. 

Every weekend, a different church hosts the procession.  On Friday in the morning, the pieces of their float (what's the proper term in English?) are displayed in the church.  But it's the sights at night that everybody comes to see.  On Sundays the procession starts early afternoon and leaves from the host church.  Some of them are in Antigua and some from the surrounding communities.  Either way, they proceed all day, making it to the central park sometime after sunset.  At midnight they arrive back at their church.  People from that church carry the floats, changing shifts throughout the day. Sometimes you can see little children- sons and daughters of the people carrying- walking along underneath the float!

The other reason people flock to Antigua is to see the Alfombras (translated to "carpets").  These are made by families / businesses that live on the streets along that day's Procession route.  They can be made of sawdust, dried plants, flowers, seeds, fruit, and I've even seen bread.  Depending on when the police close off their particular street, they may work on it for an hour before the Procession reaches them, or they may spend all day on it.  It is a beautiful thing to watch!

A family making an Alfombra of dried plants

A float being moved out of storage

Alfombra

A Vikings fan?  Or just the only purple she could find.

 

me and Azucena

 

Procession-  nobody is permitted to walk on the Alfombra until the main float

 

Procession

Procession

Procession

Procession



Alfombra after the main float walked through

The second floats

They also are allowed to walk on the Alfombra

sawdust Alfombra- the groups on this street worked starting in the early morning on their Alfombras

They use stencils to create intricate designs.

 

Alfombra with the frame still on.  They are continuously wet with water to keep from drying out in the sun and blowing away in the wind.  The last step is to take the frame off.

seeds

This Alfombra is on the highway.  It has fruit and vegetables.

The Christian / Mayan-themed Alfombra leading into the host church.

They look Heavy!

The Alfombra after the procession goes through.

The sawdust is bagged up and... saved for next year? given to a friend who lives on next weekend's route?

A whole morning's hard work gone in fifteen minutes.

The people pay for the privilege of carrying in the procession

 

Reaching the central park

 

 

 

Festive atmosphere!


Velacion in Santa Ana

At the Velacion on Friday.  It was crowded!  I went with three other people from my house and the house mom Ruth.

Entering the church was crazy!  The people at the back just started pushing and shoving their way in.  They kept pusing until they eventually reached the front, and then they stood there.

I don't have many pictures; I didn't bring my camera and only have what Azucena took with hers.  But the scene and Alfombra at the front were beautiful!

 

 

 

 

Street vendors