One of the things that makes the Semana Santa celebrations in Antigua, Guatemala so special is that everyone participates including the children, who were especially fun to watch.
Over this year’s week-long Easter celebration (one of the most elaborate in the world) we saw costumed children walking along with their parents in solemn processions meant to tell the story of Jesus’ crucifixion. We saw wide-eyed children watching processions from the sidewalks and roof tops. We saw children helping their families create temporary street carpets called alfombras. We even saw children carrying wooden floats that are the center pieces of the processions.
All of them were adorable and here are the child stars of Semana Santa 2011:
There are literally dozens of elaborate processions between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday as part of the incredible week-long Semana Santa celebrations in Antigua, Guatemala (check out our handy primer to all things Semana Santa–from andas to alfombras to cuchuruchos).
The reverent processions between Palm Sunday and Good Friday tell the story of Jesus’ crucifixion (which is re-enacted ceremonially on Good Friday). Processions between Good Friday and Easter Sunday take on an even more solemn, somber tone as participants and observers mourn the crucified Jesus. People’s costumes change from purple to black. Processions slowly wander the streets with just a Virgin float–no Jesus float since he is now crucified.
The images in this slides show were taken during various Semana Santa processions in Antigua, Guatemala between Good Friday and Easter Sunday.
The first processions on Good Friday departs La Merced church at 4am. On Thursday afternoon we overhead a tour guide telling his group that it rains every year around 3 am on the morning of Good Friday. This year the rain drops started a little early, but the sky cleared in time for the processions.
Jesús Nazareno de la Merced on his way to the crucifixion during a Good Friday procession in Antigua, Guatemala.
By 3 pm on Good Friday everyone has exchanged their purple costumes for black in mourning for the crucified Jesus.
The Good Friday procession from the Escuela de Cristo church.
A float bearing the Virgin (which is always carried by women) during a Good Friday procession from the Escuela de Cristo church.
Check out more of the sights and sounds of the Good Friday processions in Antigua, Guatemala in our video, below.
Saturday – Sábado de Gloria
Semana Santa processions on Saturday do not have floats (called andas) bearing Jesus. He’s now crucified, so Saturday processions have floats bearing images of a mourning Virgin, all carried by women.
The pointy hats worn during some Semana Santa processions, incuding this one on Saturday, have nothing to do with the KKK.
A float bearing the Virgen de Soledad leaving the Escuela de Cristo church.
A float bearing the Virgen de Soledad leaving the Escuela de Cristo church in Antigua, Guatemala.
The Virgen de Soledad atop a float carried by women in a Saturday procession from the Escuela de Cristo church in Antigua, Guatemala.
Check out more of the sights and sounds of the Saturday processions in Antigua, Guatemala in our video, below.
Easter Sunday – Pascua
Easter Sunday processions mark the resurrection of Jesus and there’s a distinctly party-like atmosphere. Children wave yellow and white flags, people cheer and smile. Confetti falls from the sky.
Jesus rises during an Easter Sunday procession from San Pedro church in Antigua, Guatemala.
Jesus rises during an Easter Sunday procession from San Pedro church in Antigua, Guatemala.
Check out a party procession on Easter Sunday in our video, below.
Semana Santa starts on Palm Sunday and runs through Easter Sunday and the folks in Antigua, Guatemala cram a lot into that week with dozens of processions at all hours of the day and night and thousands of participants of all ages. The processions often overlap so you have to make hard choices about which ones to focus on.
Women selling special Palm Sunday decorations in front of the La Merced church in Antigua, Guatemala as Semana Santa begins.
The whole week is about telling the story of Jesus’ crucifixion which is symbolically re-enacted on Good Friday. During the processions between Palm Sunday and Good Friday (shown in this post) Jesus is everywhere and many people wear purple. Processions after Good Friday (which we’ll tell you all about in our next post) are more somber–Jesus is nowhere to be seen (until Easter Sunday) and purple clothing has been replaced by black.
The images in this slides show were taken during various processions in Antigua, Guatemala from Palm Sunday until the start of Good Friday.
One of the first Semana Santa processions we saw was a children's procession--everyone gets in on the Easter action in Antigua.
We were lucky to find some space inside the San Felipe church on the fringes of Antigua where we got to see the very first moments of their procession as the enormous float, called an anda, was carried out of the church by 80 men. They’re walking over an elaborate carpet called an alfombra which the faithful created using colored wood chips, precise stencils and a lot of patience.
...huge float over a handmade alfombra "carpet" made of colored sawdust and out onto the streets of Antigua,
A Semana Santa procession from the San Felipe church begins inside the Santuario del Apóstol where 80 men carry a...
During most processions a float carrying the Virgin follows the float carrying Jesus. The Virgin's float is always carried by women.
Everyone knows an army marches on its stomach. Men portraying Roman centurions take a break for lunch during a Semana Santa procession in Antigua, Guatemala.
The video, below, shows a procession leading up to Good Friday during Semana Santa in Antigua, Guatemala.
The enormous floats carried through Antigua during Semana Santa processions are awkward and heavy. Making it around tight corners as the processions move through town requires team work and exact choreography, as this slide show demonstrates.
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