Semana Santa in Guatemala (Holy Week in Guatemala)

1
Semana Santa in Guatemala(Holy Week in Guatemala)
2
What is Semana Santa?

• Semana Santa is the Spanish name for Holy
  Week, the week before Easter Sunday
• In 2011, Semana Santa is from Sunday, April 17,
  until Sunday, April 24
• Runs from Palm Sunday (Domingo de Ramos) until
  Holy Saturday (Sábado de Gloria)

3
Origins of Semana Santa

• Brought to Guatemala by the Spaniards in colonial
  times
• Shares some traditions with Spain
• Guatemala and other Central American countries
  have added their own flavor to the celebrations
• First Semana Santa celebrations held in Santiago
  de los Caballeros (old name for Antigua
  Guatemala)
• 2008 Guatemala declared the Semana Santa
  celebrations in Antigua Guatemala a National
  Heritage site

4
Preparation for Semana Santa

• Cobblestone streets are repaired
• Entire city of Antigua cleaned
• Homeowners give houses a fresh coat of paint
• Extra police are brought in to ensure safety

5
Churches and Their Participation

• Every Catholic church holds Mass (Misa) every
  night during Semana Santa
• Churches host the processions
• Figures of the saints are loaned to the
  hermandades to use in the processions
• Large alfombra is often made in front of the
  altar of the church

6
Churches and Their Participation
7
Hermandades (Brotherhoods)

• Groups (male and female) that belong to specific
  church
• Create elaborate floats (andas) and processions
• Responsible for all aspects of the Semana Santa
  processions
• Participate in fundraising, float preparation,
  recruit cucuruchos, and organize details

8
Where To See Processions

• You can see processions in any large town in
  Guatemala, and in many small towns
• Antigua, Guatemala is by far the major center for
  Semana Santa processions
• Foreigners and Guatemalans alike flock to Antigua
  to see the festivities
• Guatemala City also has very impressive
  processions, though not as well-known

9
Andas (Floats)

• Floats for the Semana Santa procession usually
  very large
• Many times weigh 7,000 lbs or more
• Built of wood, with handles on either side for
  the cucuruchos to lift
• Have detailed carvings of flowers and birds as
  well as detailed scrollwork along the edges

10
Andas (floats)

• Float designs change every year
• Figures of Jesus and Mary stay the same, but with
  new clothing
• Scenes can be very several feet tall on top of
  the float, with fake boulders, cellophane
  waterfalls, even bushes and trees around the
  figures
• Bright lights often used, as well

11
Figures

• Statues of Jesus and Mary
• Loaned to the hermandades by the churches for
  their processions
• Many figures are hundreds of years old
• Range from Christ, resplendent in robes, to a
  battered Jesus on a cross with pained expression
• Some are quite graphic and bloody
• Mary sometimes portrayed as radiant mother, other
  times as sorrowful

12
Float Pictures Antigua Guatemala
13
Float Pictures Antigua Guatemala
14
Saints (Santos)

• Various saints make an appearance in the
  processions
• Can be on the same float as Jesus, or on smaller
  floats carried by 4-6 people
• St. John and Mary Magdalena always accompany
  Mary, carried on a separate float behind her
• The number of saints depends on the size of the
  town and how many figures are available

15
Cucuruchos

• Cucurucho now refers to the men when carry a
  float
• Originally referred to the type of hat that the
  men wore
• Cucuruchos pay for the privilege of carrying the
  floats
• Considered to be a form of penance
• Cucuruchos are measured at the shoulders and
  assigned a turno or shift

16
Cucuruchos

• The shifts last one block floats can weight
  7,000 lbs each
• Floats can have anywhere between 40-140 men
  carrying them
• Carriers have to be balanced and replaced
  frequently
• Clothing was influenced by St. Francis of Assisi
• Very similar to those of 500 years ago

17
Cucurucho clothing

• Normal garb is purple robed
• Good Friday clothing is white

18
Las Dolorosas

• Groups of women who carry floats
• No specific dress code, though they typically
  dress in white or black, depending on the day
• Las Dolorosas carry Mary, who is behind the main
  float

19
Romanos

• These men are dressed as Roman centurions
• Wear helmets, swords, and armor, as well as short
  leather skirts
• Costume depends on the area and church
• Walk with the processions, moving people from
  blocking the way
• Members of the hermandades that do not carry the
  floats

20
Romanos
21
Esquadrones de Palestinos

• The Palestine Squad also accompanies some of the
  processions
• Dressed in red capes and pointed hoods
• Carry palm branches or crests on poles
• Do not carry the float

22
Incense

• Used in all processions through Cuaresma and
  Semana Santa
• Amount used increases the closer Holy Week gets
• Children walk ahead of the procession with
  incense burners
• Scent stays in the air for months

23
Funeral Marches

• Marchas funebras/funeral marches are unique to
  Guatemala
• Nearly all are written by Guatemalans
• Bring a solemn air to the proceedings
• Santiago Coronado is considered the father of the
  funeral march in Guatemala
• There are hundreds of songs in existence
• The processions can go 12-18 hours without ever
  repeating songs

24
Alfombras

• Alfombras (carpets) are abundant in the streets
  of Antigua during Cuaresma and Holy Week
• Originally, in the 1500s, made from flowers and
  feathers of birds like the quetzal, parrots,
  guacamayas, and hummingbirds
• Traditions is a mixture of customs from Tenerife
  and the Canary Islands, as well as Mayan
  traditions
• Alfombras are a form of welcoming Jesus into the
  town, just like people did with palm branches
  during His time

25
Alfombras
26
Alfombras

• Before the procession, people create elaborate
  alfombras from colored sawdust, plants, food,
  flowers, etc
• Block traffic for hours on end
• Mayan influence can be seen in the geometric
  patterns
• Most alfombras long and rectangular
• Some L-shaped alfombras go around corners,
  covering two blocks

27
Alfombras

• With multiple processions passing over the same
  streets, multiple processions are made
• Cleanup is immediate in order to make room for
  the next alfombra
• No one walks on the alfombras
• This is one unwritten rule that is well-heeded
• Alfombras can cost anywhere from Q5,000-Q10,000
  (600-1200 USD) depending on the materials

28
Alfombras

• Aserrin (sawdust) is the main ingredient in
  alfombras
• Sawdust is tinted with brightly colored dyes and
  sold in the market
• Simple alfombras take a couple of hours, and more
  elaborate ones can take up to 12 hours to
  complete, with many people working on them
• Stencils are used to form the perfect design,
  then carefully laid on top of the sawdust to
  properly layer the design (see next slide)

29
Alfombras
30
Alfombras
31
Alfombras
32
Alfombras
33
Alfombras
34
Ventas

• Ventas (sales) refer to the salespeople who wait
  in the plazas in front of the churches
• When the procession enters the church, there are
  usually thousands of hungry and thirsty
  partcipants
• Common food cotton candy, chupetes (suckers),
  empanadas, churros, molletes, ice cream, and any
  number of drinks
• Some people that live on the streets where
  processions take place will charge a small fee to
  let desperate participants use the bathroom in
  their house

35
Cuaresma

• Cuaresma (Lent) refers to the 40 days leading up
  to Holy Week, finishing with Easter Sunday
• The common practice of giving something up for
  Lent is not popular in Guatemala
• Instead people will sign up to be a cucurucho or
  to design an alfombra as an act of penance

36
Traditions

• Cuaresma has its own processions
• Usually every Sunday, but often during the week,
  as well
• It can be hard to know where the processions are
  if you are not from Guatemala, but the locals
  always seem to know

37
Miércoles de Ceniza

• Ash Wednesday is a big deal in Guatemala
• Churches open all day
• Some schools even take their students to church
  to have them blessed by the priest
• The ashes that form the cross on a believers
  forehead are from the palm branches used in the
  previous years Palm Sunday

38
Cuaresma Processions

• There are several processions type of Lent, but
  the main processions in the capital are the
  following
• Jesús de Consuelo the Saturday before Palm
  Sunday
• Jesús de los Milagros y de las Palmas Palm
  Sunday
• Jesús de las Tres Potencias Holy Monday
• La Reseña y Jesús de las 3 Gracias Holy Tuesday
• Jesús del Rescate Holy Wednesday
• Jesús de Candelaria Maundy Thursday
• Jesús de la Merced Good Friday (early morning)
• Santos Entierros Good Friday (afternoon)

39
Viacrucis

• The Viacrucis are the Stations of the Cross
• People set up stations with visual
  representations and the processions visit each
  one. There are fourteen stations of the cross in
  all
• Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane,
• Jesus is betrayed by Judas and arrested,
• Jesus is condemned by the Sanhedrin,
• Jesus is denied by Peter,
• Jesus is judged by Pilate,
• Jesus is scourged and crowned with thorns,
• Jesus takes up His cross,

40
Viacrucis, cont.

• Jesus is helped by Simon to carry His cross,
• Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem,
• Jesus is crucified,
• Jesus promises His kingdom to the repentant
  thief,
• Jesus entrusts Mary and John to each other,
• Jesus dies on the cross,
• Jesus is laid in the tomb.

41
Misas

• During Cuaresma, special Misas, or Masses, are
  held
• Usually related to the viacrucis

42
Velaciones

• Velaciones, or vigils, are held through Lent,
  each one at a different influential church
• Biblical scenes are set up at the front of the
  church
• An alfombra is made in front of the altar
• A Misa is held in the afternoon
• Usually a concert of funeral marches, as well

43
Semana Santa

• Semana Santa, or Holy Week, start the Friday
  before Palm Sunday and goes through Good Saturday
• There are many processions and significant events
  that make up this tradition time

44
Jueves Santo

• Maundy Thursday, as it is known in English, has
  many special processions
• Themes vary, depending on church and hermandad
• Jesus es Encarcelado in select churches,
  Jesus is put in jail (behind any barred door),
  representing his arrest and incarceration

45
Viernes Santo (Good Friday)

• One of the most famous processions in Antigua is
  La Sentencia
• At 3 a.m., Roman centurions ride out of the
  church on horseback to proclaim Christs sentence
• They read the sentence at every street corner

46
La sentencia
47
Viernes Santo (Good Friday)

• Jesús en Su Camino al Calvario
• At 4 a.m., after La Sentencia, the procession
  leaves following the Romanos
• Theme Christs journey to Calvary
• The figure of Christ carries His cross, which is
  usually quite heavily adorned

48
Jesús en su camino al calvario
49
Jesús en su camino al calvario
50
Viernes Santo (Good Friday)

• Jesús Sepultado
• Final Procession with Jesus during Semana Santa
• The floats show the body of Jesus in a glass
  coffin
• Each station of the cross is represented on the
  float

51
Sábado de Gloria (Good Saturday)

• La Virgen de Soledad
• In this procession, the Virgin Mary is dressed in
  dark or black clothes
• A knife through her heart shows her pain at
  losing her son
• Only female carriers carry her float (Las
  Dolorosas) and are dressed all in black

52
Other Processions

• Procesión de Niños (Childrens Procession)
• Date depend on the town
• Wednesday of Semana Santa in Antigua
• Children carry a smaller float
• Have all the same roles as adults in the other
  processions, such as Romans
• All the figures are smaller

53
The Resurrection

• Interestingly, Semana Santa in Guatemala focuses
  almost entirely on the death of Christ
• Easter Sunday is very low key
• Some say that this is because the resurrection
  had no parallel in Mayan culture, so it never
  really caught on when Christianity was introduced

54
Peregrinaje a Antigua

• It is customary for people in small towns around
  Guatemala to make a Pilgrimage to Antigua
  Peregrinaje a Antigua during Holy Week
• Traffic is very slow during Holy Week, due to so
  many travelers

55
Mayan Traditions

• In some areas of Guatemala, an effigy of Judas,
  called San Simón or Maximón is displayed
  during Lent
• It is later dismembered and burned
• Maximón rules over the church while Jesus is
  dead then leaves the church when Jesus is
  resurrected

56
Semana Santa 101

• Buy your own copy at
• All-About-Guatemala/semana-santa-101.html
• Free e-courses at
• All-About-Guatemala.com/semana-santa-guatemala-eco
  urse.html