Semana Santa

This week is Semana Santa, or Holy Week, which apparently is a pretty big deal in Antigua.  From Wednesday through Saturday, they have several processions, where purple-robed people carry giant floats with various scenes from Christ's final week.  These floats weigh about 6600 pounds and require 60-80 men to carry them for one block, before changing out to a new group of sixty.  Anyone can sign up to carry the floats, or the cathedrals' statues of the saints, and since these floats get carried for up to 10 hours at a time, lots of people are needed.

The streets are covered with alfombras, or carpets, for the floats to pass over.  These range from simple patterns of pine needles and flowers, to elaborate designs of sawdust, to creative fruit carvings.  It is impressive to walk up and down the streets and see everyone's hard work.  To create the more elaborate alfombras, people stay up all night on Maundy Thursday to have them ready for the Good Friday processions in the morning.

After the death of Christ, everyone switches to wearing black robes instead of purple, and the music becomes even more somber.

With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.  The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.  And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, "Surely this man was the Son of God!"  (Mark 15:37-39)

Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.  (Hebrews 10:19-22)