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
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
Since I showed you, just the other day, how the façade of house from La Antigua Guatemala was being repaired and painted in preparation for the Semana Santa (Holy Week) celebrations, I figured you ought to see how the house was transformed. Well, once again, I was lucky because not only I was able to … Read more
The adjacent building to the right of Cathedral of La Antigua Guatemala goes by the name of Palacio Episcopal (Episcopal Palace). This time even this palace will get a new facelift just in time for the Semana Santa (Holy Week) in Guatemala. Now the above photo seems quite frankly ordinary, but there is an very … Read more
These colorful Guatemalan eggshells filled with confetti are known as cascarones and are the sure sign that marks the arrival of carvinal and then Ash Wednesday (Miércoles de ceniza), which is the first day of Lent (Cuaresma) which in 2009 will be celebrated on February 25th. That’s right folks, on Wednesday 25th we will begin … Read more
Many purple and violet banners are still hanging from doorways and windows around town. It feels like many don’t want to let go of Semana Santa. What do you think? Accomplishment Side Note: Believe it or not, the Macmillan Group will be using one of my photos as a cover for their Music Text Book … 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!
That is right, Semana Santa in Guatemala is an equal opportunity celebration. Sure, cucuruchos take the majority of the clicks of cameras and most of the video recorded, but children, women and dogs have a place in the Holy Week celebrations. Women’s float or andas are a bit smaller and carry virgins or angels most of the time.
Gringos are now an integral part of La Antigua Guatemala and therefore many of them participate of the preparations of the world famous alfombras de Semana Santa (Holy Week carpets) made from colorful sawdust, flowers, fruits, and anything the imagination allows. From this shot, I particularly like the framing of the tourist with his backpack … Read more
Each turn of the Holy Week Float costs around Q60 (around US$8), there are around 60 turns and each float has somewhere between 80 and 100 spaces for the Cucuruchos. That’s close to Q290,000 (US$38,000) per procession.
Today’s Palm Sunday or Domingo de Ramos as today’s known in the Catholic Realm. Last year, Domingo de Ramos fell on April 1st and the photo of the day was the palm flower arrangements available in the La Antigua Guatemala’s market. Today’s photo is very similar to last year’s, but this time the photo was … Read more
The People of La Antigua Guatemala and surrounding villages simply love to make processional carpets and the town fair provides the perfect excuse to make sawdust and flower carpets throughout the year; really why wait for Semana Santa (Holy Week).
Churches serve as terminals from which processions depart or arrive. Churches also serve as home-base for all the brotherhoods of cucuruchos and sisterhoods. Churches also put their best face for the Holy Week and many get a paint job and/or restoration works in the weeks prior to Semana Santa.
With this photo we wave goodbye to Semana Santa and to Holy Week’s processions. I was told the last procession, the Resurrection (Resurección) procession comes out on Easter Sunday (today) a 6 a.m. and its back in the church by 10 in the morning.
Yesterday I told you I was going to have a sample of the sorrowful tunes play by the processional musicians that are an integral part of processions. On the weekends of the Lent season or Cuaresma as it is known in Spanish, La Antigua Guatemala becomes the backdrop for smaller processions which are a preamble … Read more