Since yesterday night, December 15, there have been sightings of Joseph and Mary’s quest for shelter around the streets of La Antigua Guatemala. María and José are walking around Antigua Guatemala, knocking on people’s doors to ask for posada. Our eye witness reporter has been able to gather the following information regarding the quest for lodging:
Every home has a nativity scene and the hosts of the Posada act as the innkeepers. The neighborhood children and adults are the pilgrims (peregrinos), who have to request lodging by going house to house singing a traditional song about the pilgrims. All the pilgrims carry small lit candles in their hands, and four people carry small statues of Joseph leading a donkey, on which Mary is riding. The head of the procession will have a candle inside a paper lamp shade. At each house, the resident responds by refusing lodging (also in song), until the weary travelers reach the designated site for the party, where Mary and Joseph are finally recognized and allowed to enter. Once the “innkeepers” let them in, the group of guests come into the home and kneel around the Nativity scene to pray (typically, the Rosary)… This according to Mrs. Wikipedia Enciclopedia de Quiensabe.
We will update you with new information as soon as our on-site reporters finish their ponche and tamales…
#$%&/()”!¡?¿… We just received this video feed from our diligent multimedia reporter Kara Andrade.
Guatemalan buñuelos are kind like round French toast and they are served with a lot hot syrup made from water, sugar, anís (anise), cinnamon sticks, all-spice just to name the main ingredients.
Buñuelos are one of the most popular Guatemalan comfort foods for December. If you follow the white rabbit, you can browse some of the other comfort foods found at town fairs in December; of course, some of these comfort foods are found all year round.
At the end of the mass service for the Feast of Out Lady of Guadalupe while I was trying to get out of the atrium my girlfriend, who was just outside the atrium’s barred fence, pointed out how captivating and alluring was the image of the Christ figure being put down from the cross and all the careful hands over its body. I turned around and walked a few steps to a get the photograph above. The imagery of the Christ and all the careful hands bring the body down was a more authentic enactment than the eucharistic celebration we had just attended. Perhaps that is so because I am visual person.
After reviewing the series of photographs, I don’t know why I associated the above image with the video of Losing My Religion from R.E.M.; perhaps you can help me find out why. I will be looking forward to your comments.
P.S. I was told by clergyman that this Christ figure was also used for the canonization of Hermano Pedro de San José Betancurt on July 30, 2002 by Pope John Paul II.
The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12, 2010 in La Antigua Guatemala began at midnight with firecrackers, firebombs and fireworks. It was unusual for the celebrations to begin so early and wit so much commotion in every village, town and city in Sacatepéquez. How strange, we thought. A few hours later, we … Read more
This year’s Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe has been the best one I have covered in La Antigua Guatemala thus far. I took over 400 photographs and I believe I will have to split the religious event in three main days, which will coincide with the three themes for the celebrations of Feast of … Read more
Since Eric mentioned the fantasmas (ghosts) in the comments of San Agustín Ruins by Night, I figure I ought to share a ghost evoking image as a follow up. La Antigua Guatemala is famous for being a town with many ghosts. I don’t know when La Antigua Guatemala became known for its ghosts and aparecidos, … Read more
I believe this is the second time I share a photo of Ruinas de San Agustín with you guys. Interesting enough, both images have been night photos. The first photo appear in Dramatic Illumination of San Agustín Ruins in June 2007. Comparing both images I noticed that back 2007 there were more spot lights illuminating … Read more
I have been meaning to do a mini series about the churches and ruins which are beautifully lit by spot lights place at strategic places. What do you think, are you ready for a new series of night photographs of La Antigua Guatemala? By the way, today’s photo is a follow up to Cathedral Spot … Read more
We are so lucky in Guatemala that we can have fresh fruit every day of the year. Often times the fruit has been harvested the day before. I have mentioned before that La Antigua Guatemala is strategically located between exuberant low coastal lands and the highlands, each within a couple of hours from Antigua Guatemala, … Read more
La quema del diablo (Burning of the Devil) used to be this tradition, little known outside of Guatemala. I say “used to be” since the Burning of the Devil is now all over the Internet. I have a tiny share of responsibility because I’ve been promoting this tradition every year since 2006.
While glancing through all the different articles about the Burning of the Devil, I noticed that sometimes they have even quoted me directly in some of the articles or simply paraphrase some of the information I have published in the past. It’s good to know that AntiguaDailyPhoto is also a valuable source of information about Guatemala.
Here are some of the articles about the Burning of the Devil tradition:
The devil’s “will” is read: He leaves his greed to a wealthy local merchant and his manipulative skills to a prominent local politician, drawing hoots and guffaws from the crowd. Officials are rarely named, says Rudy Girón, an Antigua resident and editor of AntiguaDailyPhoto.com, but everyone knows whom the devil is talking about. “It’s humor-double-meaning speech making sure people know who’s being criticized without actually calling any names,” he says…
(Continue reading Run, Devil, Run by Michael Shapiro at American Way Magazine)
The tradition of burning the devil began in colonial times. In anticipation of the feast of the Immaculate Conception, those who could afford it adorned the fronts of their houses with lanterns. Eventually, the poor who could not afford such lanterns began gathering their garbage and would burn all of the year’s rubbish in front of their houses. Over time it was formalized and in addition to individual piles of garbage, communities started to burn The Devil to clear the way for Mary’s feast…
Guatemala has just celebrated a beloved tradition: la quema del diablo, the burning of the devil. Across the country, people lit bonfires and burned images of Satan as a way to symbolically cleanse their houses. The government thinks this custom has gone too far. NPR’s John Burnett sent this postcard from Guatemala City…
One tradition that certainly puts our spring cleaning to shame is Quema del Diablo, or the Burning of the Devil, which takes place every December in Guatemala. Guatemalans have long believed that the Devil lurks in the dark and dusty corners of the house and in garbage, so every year before the Feast of the Immaculate Conception (Dec. 8), people sweep him out of their houses and chase him off by burning their household refuse in bonfires topped by effigies of the Devil.
Marimba bands and fireworks add to the festivities. Some of the biggest celebrations are in Antigua and Guatemala City.
In Ciudad Vieja, a Devil three stories high is set alight in the city square at the stroke of six. Quema del Diablo is just one of the 192 unusual happenings described in the Lonely Planet guide, “A Year of Festivals.”
Even though you may seem Christmas decorations as early as September in Guatemala, the official Christmas season celebrations begins with the Burning of the Devil on December 7. Check out the Burnig of the Devil slide show if you need a photographic overview of this authentic Guatemalan celebration. Once the air is cleansed from evil … Read more
Sometimes one is force to pump up the ISO (raise the film sensitivity) in order to be able to get a photograph. This was the case while driving down from the Acatenango volcano. So, remember that in order to capture fleeting images, you always be ready to think quick and change whatever settings are necessary … Read more
It’s very enjoyable to look at how the condensation concentrates on vegetation on the volcanic slopes. Probably it would have been nicer to have captured this condensation during a golden hour. So, what’s for you the golden hour? text and photo by Arturo Godoy.
If you ever decide to hike the volcanoes around La Anttigua Guatemala, don’t ever forget to pay attention to the colors you find on your way up. The flora up there is unique and enchanting. I don’t know the name of these purple flowers, can anybody help? text and photo by Arturo Godoy.
On the road to San Juan del Obispo you can find this view, where you can see a coffee plantation in the foreground with the Acatenango and Fuego Volcanoes in the background. When I was on my way to San Juan del Obispo, I just had to stop and capture this fleeting vista. I am … Read more
