Processional Carpets in 2021
As I explained earlier, because of the pandemic, processions and all massive events had been canceled. However, some of the activities were …
Lenten Vistas — Carpets
Here’s your illustrated Guatemalan Spanish word of the day: Alfombras procesionales for processional carpets. To look at the Lenten processional carpets you …
Holy Week Vistas — Elaboration of Processional Carpets
The passion and devotion that goes into making the processional carpets is incredible. Often we only mention how long it takes to …
Holy Week Vistas — Processional Carpets
Some of the more intricate and complex designs of alfombras, carpets, can take as long as 12 hours. Such was the case …
Lent Vistas — Alfombras
The processional carpets not only provide beautiful ephemeral art to the eye, often, they also give us the aromas of Lent and …
Holy Week Vistas: Colorful Processional Carpets
As I’ve said before, the creation of precessional carpets from sawdust, fruit and vegetables, pine-needles, flowers, etc. is a community-forming tradition. The …
Holy Week Elements: Alfombras
The processional carpets are among the most creative and colorful elements of the Holy Week in La Antigua Guatemala. In this case, …
Guatemalan Fair: The Pine-needle Processional Carpets
The making of these processional carpets is such a community-forming and bonding activity since in the process participate many, if not all, of the neighbors and family members. These traditions, festive calendar dates and special celebrations mark very strongly what makes a normal human being into a hard-core Guatemalan. You break the link or access to these experiences and you only have a person that was born in Guatemala; a fact as worthless as the fact of having had a pair of boots once.