SEMANA SANTA IN GUATEMALA

(HOLY WEEK IN GUATEMALA)

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)

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 SemanaSanta celebrations in Antigua Guatemala a National Heritage site

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

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

CHURCHES AND THEIR PARTICIPATION

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

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

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

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

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

FLOAT PICTURES – ANTIGUA GUATEMALA

FLOAT PICTURES – ANTIGUA GUATEMALA

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

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

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

CUCURUCHO CLOTHING

Normal garb is purple robed

Good Friday clothing is white

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

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

ROMANOS

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

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

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

ALFOMBRAS

Alfombras (carpets) are abundant in the streets of Antigua during Cuaresma and Holy Week

Originally, in the 1500’s, 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

ALFOMBRAS

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

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

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)

ALFOMBRAS

ALFOMBRAS

ALFOMBRAS

ALFOMBRAS

ALFOMBRAS

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

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

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

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 believer’s

forehead are from the palm branches used in

the previous year’s Palm Sunday

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)

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,

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.

MISAS

During

Cuaresma, special

Misas, or Masses, are

held

Usually related to the

viacrucis

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

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

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

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 Christ’s

sentence

They read the sentence at every street

corner

LA SENTENCIA

VIERNES SANTO (GOOD FRIDAY)

Jesús en Su Camino al Calvario

At 4 a.m., after “La Sentencia”, the procession

leaves following the Romanos

Theme: Christ’s journey to Calvary

The figure of Christ carries His cross, which

is usually quite heavily adorned

JESÚS EN SU CAMINO AL CALVARIO

JESÚS EN SU CAMINO AL CALVARIO

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

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

OTHER PROCESSIONS

Procesión de Niños(Children’s Procession) Date depend on the town

Wednesday of SemanaSanta 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

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

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

MAYAN TRADITIONS

In some areas of Guatemala, an effigy of Judas, called “San Simón” or “Maximón” is displayed duringLent

It is later dismemberedand burned

Maximón rules over the church while Jesus is “dead” then leaves the church when Jesus is resurrected

SEMANA SANTA 101

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