May 17, 2014

We happened to be in Flores, Guatemala for Semana Santa (meaning Holy Week, which is the week leading up to Easter Sunday) and the festivites that occurred blew. me. away.

On Good Friday the locals get up and take to the streets early in the morning, weilding stencils, bits of wood, fruits, flowers, baked goods and sawdust ground to varying levels of fineness, all wildly bright, bold colors. They wet the streets down to make the sawdust stick and then begin to build these incredibly elaborate carpets in the middle of the streets. Men sporting tanks on their back that made them look like exterminators misted the sawdust with more water every so often to ensure it would stay in place. 

Once the sawdust part is done, they lay the flowers and fruit out on the carpets to add to the design which are then left for the taking once the procession is over. It was explained to me that it is a way of giving back.

After working in the sun for the entire day on these just crazy beautiful carpets, a procession (and when I say procession, I really mean like a semi-contained mob) made up of clergy and locals, some carrying small floats containing life-size figurines of Jesus and disciples, parade down the streets trudging directly through the carpets, essentially destroying them. This reminded me of how a kid will spend hours building a sand castle only to Godzilla right through it just as soon as they finish. It was simply amazing to see. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please add a comment