Beginning with the first Sunday after Ash Wednesday, there are processions each Sunday of Lent and the first procession comes out the village of Santa Catarina Bobadilla. Make sure you click on the images to look at a larger version to really appreciate all the details. Each day this week, Nelo will share his most … Read more
It’s impossible to miss the Lent, Cuaresma we call it in Spanish, in Antigua Guatemala as you encounter decorations, shrines, carpets, vigils and processions through out the city and villages. Here you see the purple banners hanging from the Ayuntamiento building; that’s city hall for you.
With the Ash Wednesday religious ceremony begins the 40-day period known in Spanish as Cuaresma, Lent, which ends with Semana Santa, Holy Week, by far the most affluent event in Antigua Guatemala. I read in Prensa Libre, Guatemala’s main newspaper, that one million and a half are expected to visit Antigua Guatemala during the Lent/Holy … Read more
![Miércoles de ceniza by Leonel [nelo] Mijangos](https://i0.wp.com/antiguadailyphoto.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/120222_v_jes_mil-62_ver.jpeg?fit=640%2C427&ssl=1)
The Cuaresma (Lent) period which leads into Semana Santa (Holy Week) begins every year with Miércoles de ceniza (Ash Wednesday). As in previous years, I set myself aside and let my dear friend Nelo share his excellent Cuaresma imagery since he’s quite possibly the person with most photos of Lent and the Holy Week; he’s … Read more
The processional carpets are among the most creative and colorful elements of the Holy Week in La Antigua Guatemala. As I’ve mentioned before, the making of carpets from sawdust, pine-needles, flowers, vegetables is a community-forming tradition. People get together by block or near-by neighbors to create the carpets on which the processions will pass by. … Read more
Today’s Domingo de Ramos (Palm Sunday) which means we are at the commencement of the world-famous Holy Week in Antigua Guatemala. We carry on our series Antigua Lent Processions thanks to the wonderful imagery of our friend and collaborator Leonel [Nelo] Mijangos who has taken to the task to document every Lent procession in La … Read more
The San Bartolo procession is among the biggest from the Antigua Lent Processions series. In fact, I remember publishing in previous years that San Bartolo and San Felipe procession were the biggest of all the procession in Guatemala. So, I will split the all the photos in two days. When we started the Antigua Lent … Read more
We continue our series Antigua Lent Processions thanks to the wonderful imagery of our friend and collaborator Leonel [Nelo] Mijangos who has taken to the task to document every Lent procession in La Antigua Guatemala in the last decade. Santa Ana is another village of La Antigua Guatemala that is so close that you can … Read more
The village of Santa Inés is located on the edge of La Antigua Guatemala, to the right of the road that takes you to Guatemala City. I shared with you a photograph of the road taken from Santa Inés on April 1, 2011. I would venture to say that because Santa Inés village is located … Read more
North by Northwest, that’s how you get to Jocotenango from Antigua Guatemala’s Plaza Mayor (main plaza). Jocotenango is not a village of La Antigua Guatemala. Jocotenango is a municipality with its own elected mayor and all. Jocotenango is so close to La Antigua Guatemala that when you take La Calle Ancha which becomes La Calle … Read more
First thing first, my dear friend Nelo informs me that on the first Wednesday of the Lent period, also known as Ash Wednesday, the first velación (wake ceremony I believe is the translation for it; correct me if I’m wrong) is organized for the following Saturday at Santa Catalina Bobadilla, which is ALWAYS the first … Read more
Every week, many more houses and buildings are putting up their Lent decorations. This house located on Calle de Los Pasos, which is basically the route for the Stations of the Cross, which goes from the San Francisco El Grande church to El Calvario church. We can take the Lent decorations as a sure sign … Read more
For those who don’t know, the building that appears in the photo is La Antigua Guatemala Municipal government building, simply known as La Muni. The altar shown in the foreground was installed for the commencement of the Lent season. So, there’s your answer about any real separation between Church and State in La Antigua Guatemala. … Read more
I confess that you have to click on the image above to understand the title. I confess I have never in my life seen so many cucuruchos together. I confess I never been surrounded by so many violet or purple robes. I confess that I should have waited another 10 minutes to take photographs of … 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