Semana Santa

Buena Pascua! All this week Gregg and I have been in Antigua to join in the out of control celebration that is Semana Santa or Holy week. These Guatemaltecos sure do know how to party - well the Catholic ones at least. 

Antigua is famous for its Catholic celebration of Holy Week, which commemorates the Passion, Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The entire city participates in the event, and thousands of national and international visitors flock to Antigua to witness the dramatic happenings. The main events are the daily (sometimes twice or thrice daily) processions that depict Jesus and Mary in the events that led up to his crucifixion. Processions generally begin with incense carriers and the brotherhood's banner, followed by the carriers and the float. The floats can weigh as much as 7,000 pounds! Carriers will carry the float for a block and then a new group will take their turn. A block behind the main float, the women carry a smaller float with the figure of the Virgin Mary. Following behind is a funeral march band. There is even one day of children's processions. 

Semana Santa: brought to you by Pepsi

Although there are a lot of beautiful aspects of this week, at the heart of the celebrations is the Catholic sacrament of 'penance'. Believers actually have to pay for the privilege of carrying one of the Jesus floats. It's considered to be a special form of penance, that wipes away their actions of the previous year and lets the person start the coming year with a zero balance in the sin department. When you learn that, the whole event becomes a little less appealing. Especially when you see the poor little niños struggling under the weight of the floats. One article I read said that the weight will feel lighter or heavier to each person, depending on how much one sinned during the past year. Gracias a Dios that we know we have been saved by grace and not works!