This presentation outlines the Semana Santa (Holy Week) celebration of Guatemala in detail. Useful for class presentation, teachers, self-education, homeschooling, research.

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 Marchasfunebras/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 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

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 believer’s forehead are from the palm branches used in the previous year’s 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 – HolyMonday La Reseña y Jesús de las 3 Gracias – HolyTuesday Jesús del Rescate – Holy Wednesday Jesúsde 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, Jesusiscrucified, 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 esEncarcelado” – 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 Christ’s 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: Christ’s journey to Calvary The figure of Christ carries His cross, which is usually quite heavily adorned

48. Jesús en sucamino al calvario

49. Jesús en sucamino 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 (Children’s 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” isdisplayedduringLent Itislaterdismembered 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-ecourse.html