As Semana Santa, the Holy Week before Easter, approaches, the historic colonial town of Antigua sees almost daily processions. These processions include music, colors… and most importantly floats… that don’t really float, but are heavy wooden depictions of the life of Christ. Because of how heavy these floats are, they often need to be carried … Read more
The unmistakable thumping that accompanies the processions comes from percussionists beating huge drums with this hummer-like sticks. Do you know the name of the big drums and the piece that serves to bang them?
I can bring to you the colors, the imagery, the sounds and even video clips, but I can’t transmit or transfer you the smells and aromas of the Holy Week. The pungent scents of corozo palms and copal insence you will have to imagine them. Let’s hope that today’s photo can trigger or precipitate forth … Read more
Transference: the action of transferring something or the process of being transferred. With these processions not only the heavy floats are being transferred, but also the culture and the religious fervor. If we delve into the realms of the psychoanalysis, we could talk about transference neurosis; however that’s way too deep and complex for a … Read more
The Cuaresma and Semana Santa season comes with its own set of garments; from the Romans to the Cucuruchos to the Dolorosas (or whatever the name is for the women carrying floats). Here I was lucky to capture the portrait of little devotee accompanying the girls procession. Come back tomorrow if you want to see … Read more
I have honestly tried not put as many Cuaresma/Lent and Semana Santa/Holy Week photos here. I could, in theory, have a Lent/Holy Week photo each day since Ash Wednesday, but this is not a religious website: it is rather a blogumentary of La Antigua Guatemala and as such I try to cover all aspects of … Read more
Oh yes, I had also forgotten to mention the superabundant crowds that you will find in La Antigua Guatemala during the Holy Week. The normal peaceful and tranquil ambience of Antigua Guatemala completely disappears during the Semana Santa and instead, a noisy, crowded, chaotic, and stressful atmosphere can be perceived. The crowds arrive from all … Read more
It doesn’t matter if the processions in the villages and communities around La Antigua Guatemala are more authentic, more kitsch and with less finances behind them; at least once in your lifetime you must come to Antigua Guatemala to see the massive and numerous processions during the Holy Week or Semana Santa as it’s known … Read more
click, click, click, click click click, clicks, click. See, if it does NOT matter how much effort I put into documenting the Holy Week in La Antigua Guatemala for you, I always miss something important. Can you believe this the third year I am covering the Semana Santa in Antigua Guatemala and I have not … Read more
Interestingly enough, Erick was commenting yesterday how impressive was to see the massive float make a U-turn as he was watching the 5-minute video of the following of a Semana Santa procession. Well, I said interesting enough because I had planned to publish a photo of the huge float’s pilot, the cucurucho you see wearing … Read more
The Holy Week in Guatemala is a full five senses overwhelming experience. As you follow the processions all five senses are bombarded with maximum stimuli and you are carried into a mystical experience. It is so difficult to convey these feelings when I am only presenting you with static photographs. But you are going to … Read more
Last year, on March 15th, I first introduced you the Broom-head Romans soldiers; I believe it was Domingo de Ramos or Palm Sunday as it is known in English. Below you can find my introductory text: … it’s impossible not to publish photos like today’s. Talk about the idiosyncrasy of Guatemalans, have you ever seen … Read more
You normally see men carrying the big heavy processional floats or andas as they are known in Guatemalan Spanish. You can browse the Processions category to see the huge Holy Week floats for which La Antigua Guatemala is famous for. However, behind the massive floats there are, almost always, smaller floats carried by women. Today’s … Read more
Some people have traveled the world over just to be present for the world-famous Holy Week in La Antigua Guatemala. Some people just have to open their front doorway and go outside to be part of Semana Santa in Guatemala. One very important aspect or distinction of what makes the celebrations of the Holy Week … Read more
This old man and the band are the tail of the procession. There goes Semana Santa 2008… we are at end of the Holy Week in La Antigua Guatemala. Just one more day!