Semana Santa in Antigua- A primer

Antigua is famous for its Semana Santa (Holy Week) celebration. People come from around the world to watch or participate. The first thing you are likely to notice when you arrive is the smell of incense, it may be a lingering trace or you may have arrived in the middle of a procession and find yourself in a cloud so thick you literally cannot see 15 feet. The next thing you will notice is the crowds. Antigua is a major tourist destination, but even on the busiest day of tourist season you won't see anything like this. The streets crowded with people speaking dozens of languages, with vendors selling all manner of things from the cheapest junk (which we bought our share of) to some really nice textiles and jewelry.

For centuries Antigua was the center of Christianity in the new world. There are more than 20 churches in town dating from the 16th century. Earthquakes have damaged many of these, but you will find a beautiful church or ruin around every other corner. During Semana Santa, Antigua reclaims its preeminence.

The major events of Semana Santa are the processions. A procession is a parade of sorts. Each church organizes one (more like several over lent) and there may be as many as 10,000 people participating in one. On Good Friday there were four processions snaking through town, the first one beginning at 4:00 am and the last one concluding 24 hours later at 4:00 am.

Typically a procession will begin with a band of Roman soldiers coming ahead to clear the road. Then hundreds of men dressed in purple (the color of passion) line the road, and next, men and boys will arrive swinging their incensers. (Often times you will see a cloud of smoke inching down the road before you see anything else.) (Oh, and don't worry women participate too.) Next some small floats, often time carried or pushed on wheels, of religious figures or biblical sconces. Next is the main event, a huge float perhaps of Jesus caring the cross, or later in the week the body of Christ, is carried past. When I say huge what I mean is a float elaborately decorated weighing as much as 9000 pounds, being carried on the shoulders of 80 to a 100 men. The float almost looks like some massive animal walking down the street as it sways in the rhythm of 160 footsteps. The float is so heavy that it is carried only a block before a new set of bearers takes over. In one procession there were 67 changes of possession (for those doing the math that is 67 x 80 = 5360 bearers)(Another interesting detail is that each change of bearers has been carefully planned, each of the 5360 bearers has been measured and only people of the same height are grouped together.) Lastly comes a smaller float often carried by women of the Virgin Mary. There are also processions consisting entirely of women or children. People pay to carry the floats or walk the procession. This is a massive undertaking, organizationally speaking, so the funds pay for the parades. There’s also a smaller, but very pretty, “poor parade”, where any donation, no matter how meager, is enough to get you in.

Sounds pretty impressive, but that isn't even the best part. Lining the route of the procession are elaborate carpets, or alfombras. People living on the parade route or businesses or artists construct these gorgeous alfombras from mostly organic materials-colored saw dust, pine needles, seeds, fruits and vegetables, or anything they want really. Minutes later the procession arrives. Participants walk around the alfombra, except the main float. The alfombra are there so that the float representing Jesus has something beautiful to walk on. They are meant as an offering. After the floats, an often somber band of tuba and drum players follow. The last part of the procession is a cleaning crew, and the last traces of these beautiful alfombra are gone perhaps an hour after they were created.

The spirit around Antigua has been absolutely palpable. Holy week is a mixture of pride and reverence and you will never find a greater example of this then right here in Antigua. Enough talking here are some pictures of this incredible week, and truly words and pictures do not do it justice.

Stayed tuned for a post about Alejandro’s adventures during Semana Santa.