Semana Santa in Guatemala and El Salvador

March 2005

Tuesday March 15, 2005

It was again time for the car to cross the border, so this morning we were off to Antigua.  Leaving the Hotel about 8:30AM we arrived at the La Hachadura border crossing at 11:30 only to discover that the road on the Guatemala side was blockaded by protesters.  The official said “with patience we would get through”.  It was quick work to get our passports stamped out of El Salvador and there are currently no entrance or exit stamps into Guatemala.  We crossed to the Guatemala side, and between a meeting of the aduana’s staff, and lunch time we had to wait about 2 hours for our car papers.  We finally got the papers at 1:10 just as traffic began to move on the road.  The blockade had just been broken up.   

We arrived in Antigua about 4:00pm and had no trouble getting a room in our favorite hotel, Casa Lucía #3.  We could even stay until the next Tuesday although the rates would go up Sunday for Semana Santa.

Wednesday March 16, 2005

Early this morning we took a small load of laundry, including our two light blanket sheets no longer needed this season on Lanikai, to the lavandería.  After breakfast we stopped in at La Merced Church to see if anything interesting was going on.  They did have some of their statues on small platforms around the sanctuary and a small sawdust and flour “carpet” in front of a side altar.  Our next stop at the Tourism Office confirmed that there would be a Palm Sunday procession.  It would leave from La Merced and travel through much of the town over a 12 hour period.  There would also be other processions and vigils starting on Friday. 

We enjoyed coffee at a small coffee shop across from the main plaza, did some shopping at the artisans market, visited the restored cloisters at the Jesuit Monastery de Compañía and enjoyed lasagna for lunch before returning to the hotel for an afternoon of relaxing.  We ate dinner at the Irish Pub only to discover that tomorrow was Saint Patrick’s Day which would require yet another visit.

Thursday March 17, 2005

This morning after breakfast we walked to the Central Plaza and entered the old cathedral church to experience the vigil.  The main altar was set up with the scene of Jesus carrying his cross in the blue sky surrounded by clouds.  There was a lovely sawdust carpet in front of this altar and also in front of the altar at the rear of the sanctuary.  Since others were taking photos, I also took a few. 

The Irish pub was real crowded for dinner but we enjoyed the Irish stew and several beers while watching the crowds of youngsters enjoying St. Patrick’s Day.

Friday March 18, 2005

We wiled away the morning in our hotel room, Bill on his computer and me with my nose in a good book.  On the way to lunch we stopped at La Merced to view the Vigil scene.  The sawdust carpet occupied much of the central isle.  The main altar, using a backdrop and church statues, depicted the trial of Jesus. 

In the plaza in front of La Merced the flower vendors had arrived with palm branches.  They were forming lovely bouquets out of the palm leaves, paper flowers, crosses and even some real greenery and flowers.

After lunch at Café Condesa we crossed the Central Plaza to the old cathedral, actually Iglesia San Jose now.  Inside they were readying the floats for the children’s procession that would start in just a few hours.  The main altar had been cleared of its Vigil items from the day before and the sawdust all swept up.  A new carpet was under construction in the rear of the sanctuary. 

Waiting in the park for the procession to start we watched the children arrive.  The girls were dressed mostly in white but some wore black; the boys all donned purple robes and hats.   The procession started with the older boys carrying a large float - with the scene of Jesus carrying his cross - out of the church and down the steps.  The next float was a much smaller one carried by the youngest children and two strong men.  It was followed by a band.  Next in the procession was a small float carried by very young girls although again the weight was carried by two older boys, fore and aft.  The fourth and last float was carried by young girls and from the expression on many of their faces we could see that it was much work for them.  Another band followed the girl’s float.  The floats carried by the girls both contained statues of the Virgin and the main statue on the boys was always Christ carrying his cross.

Along the route pine needle carpets and flowers covered areas of the cobblestone streets but we only saw one sawdust carpet and it was constructed near our hotel.  The viewers of this procession were mostly the parents, so the crowds were smaller than later procession and we got much better views of the activity.  Bill and I followed the procession for three blocks from the church then cut over to our hotel.  We purchased two palm bouquets from the vendors in front of La Merced before continuing down the street to our hotel.   A sawdust carpet was under construction near the hotel so we stopped off there to watch.  As they were finishing it began to rain but before the rain could damage the carpet the procession arrived.  The statuary had been duly covered in plastic but everything else was getting quite wet.  The first float with the smallest boys walked around the carpet allowing the first steps into the sawdust to be made by the boys carrying the larger float.  It was followed by rest of the procession all walking thru the sawdust.  The procession was followed by a clean up crew that shoveled the sawdust, pine needles and flowers into a dump truck.

Bill and I, also dripping wet, walked over to the Bavarian Restaurant for dinner.

Saturday March 19, 2005   Sábado de Ramos

Not much was happening in Antigua today.  We did walk over to San Francisco where we watched one “alfombra” under construction but otherwise the church looked as it usually does.

After Lunch we walked to the nearby town of San Felipe.  The church there had a Vigil scene set up.  The church itself was quite spectacular and different from the rest of the local churches.  It had many tall slender spires.  A carnival atmosphere existed outside of the church.  The road in front was closed and many vendor stalls were set up.  We stopped at one of the many food vendors for a pop after viewing the church and spent some time just watching the people before walking down the hill back to Antigua.

Sunday March 20, 2005    Palm Sunday

We did not get up very early, so we missed all the early palm processions.  Our usual breakfast spot was overfull but the owner found us a spot. 

The major Palm Sunday procession didn’t start until 11AM, so after breakfast we first walked to the central plaza then back to La Merced where they were working on the first of many alfombras, sawdust carpets, for the procession to walk over. With still almost two hours before the start, we took off along the parade route.   On the first street there were already carpets of sawdust and pine needles under construction and along Alameda Santa Lucía, the main street by the market, one lane was closed of the divided road and many carpets were being laid down.  We watched for awhile but returned to La Merced to the growing crowd in time to get a spot to view the procession.  Bill found himself a spot near the church entrance and I positioned myself at a corner of the large alfombra in the church parking lot.  As it got time to start, a sea of purple robed men seemed to take over the crowd.  Roman guards were the first to appear, then banners and finally the very large, 45 feet long, float appeared.  It passed under the church doorway on rails as it was too tall to be carried out the door.  It was carried by 80 men with two more behind and one in front to guide it.  As the procession got going there were over 3 blocks of purple robed men ready for their turn as float bearers, they changed about every two blocks.  This huge float was followed by a band and a group of followers.  The woman’s float with a statue of the Virgin was somewhat smaller although still quite large.  It was carried thru the church entrance with just some stooping by the bearers.  The girls were all dressed in white and black.  Two small floats carried by 4 men each came out followed by another band.    The clean up crew that was to clear the street of the sawdust, pine needles and flowers followed close behind the band so that the street could be opened again.

I followed the girls float to Alameda Santa Lucía before finding a spot clear enough of people that I could break free of the procession.  I followed the parade route, being unable to cross the street thru the procession, until I got to an intersection that the procession turned at.  I continued away from the procession and returned to the hotel arriving just before Bill.  He had been stuck behind the procession at La Merced so when he finally broke away he jumped ahead of the parade arriving on Alameda Santa Lucía before the procession.  He got a good spot to photograph the procession as it walked through the many pretty floral carpets.

Back at the hotel we looked at the many photos that we had taken and checked out the roof for viewing the procession as it passed the hotel.   We got out to the roof ahead of time and watched the street fill up with the pine and floral alfombras and the construction of a small sawdust one.  The procession passed the hotel about 4PM and we got some more photos of the event.  After the crowds cleared we went out for dinner.

At 9PM we again went out to find the procession.  We found it approaching the central plaza and about two blocks away.  We snapped a few quick photos and ducked down a side street.  We ended up almost under the arch at Frieda’s Bar where we grabbed a quick beer.  The procession soon came down that street on its home stretch and we were again stuck behind it.  We followed it back to La Merced and Bill snapped a quick photo just as the main float was about to enter the church again, at 10:55PM.

Monday March 21, 2005      Lunes Santo

It was another “up late” morning.  We took our laundry to the lavandería so that we can return to Lanikai with mostly clean clothing.  On the walk back toward the hotel we stopped for breakfast at a restaurant along the way and enjoyed one of the best breakfasts that we have had here.

The Vigil at La Merced was already set up so we stopped off there on our return to the hotel.  The alfombra in front of the altar was entirely composed of fresh vegetables and a few large loaves of bread in fanciful shapes.  The altar scene was again Jesus carrying the cross with the Virgin watching and guarded by Roman guards, all statuary from the church.  The floats from the day before had been dismantled and the base of the larger one divided into two parts.  Bill spent some time examining the base which was of heavy wood reinforced with metal. 

Bill spent about 3 hours at an internet café, the first time this trip, while I did a little shopping but mostly reading in the central plaza.  We enjoyed a very late lunch of pizza.

At 6PM we headed off toward the central plaza again in hopes of seeing another procession.  This procession was from an outlying town and was only to enter the city, march around the central plaza and return home.  We stopped for an ice cream cone and arrived at the plaza just in time to hear the first beats of the drums.  Lines of men and women that lead the procession soon showed up on the south side of the plaza followed by four floats.  The first again had a statue of Jesus carrying his cross.  It was followed by the woman’s float, again with a statue of the Virgin, then two very small floats containing female statues.   The procession traveled around the entire central plaza before heading home, down a different side street from which it had come.  The Virgin was carried entirely by woman but the larger float of Christ was carried by both men and women this time.  Many of the women were in native Mayan clothing. 

On the way back to the hotel we again stopped at La Merced.  The plaza was I full carnival spirit with many food vendors set up.  A band arrived and set up in front of the church and started playing about 8PM.  We joined the crowd and listened to the “first set”.  When the band took its first break we walked back to the hotel and could listen to the rest of the concert from our hotel room.

Tuesday March 22, 2005

Today we packed up the car to head back to Bahía del Sol in El Salvador.  We went back to the same breakfast restaurant as yesterday and afterwards continued on to San Francisco, the site of anther vigil.  The scene of the Last Supper was set up in their altar area fronted by another alfombra.  An old sign said no photos in the church, and since no one else was taking any photos we did not take any either.

We returned to the hotel, checked out and drove out of town.  It was a rapid trip to the border but it took us many hours to get the car checked into El Salvador.  Bill did the paperwork and said that it was just that the lines were long.  I sat in the car and visited with three boys that were off school for the week.  They were learning English in school and wanted to know the English word for many things.  The trip thru El Salvador was again beautiful as this road runs along the ocean.  It even passes thru 5 tunnels.  We stopped for a fish meal on a cliff overlooking the sea just before getting to La Libertad, about an hour from Bahía.  We arrived back at the hotel with Semana Santa activities in full swing and the hotel full of vacationers. 

Friday March 25, 2005

The last few days we have enjoyed visiting with friends in the party atmosphere at the hotel.  They have bands playing each night and several times during the day.  We have eaten pupusas the last two nights, once at Emily’s and last night at Mari Sol’s.  Boats seem to be arriving from the south on their way north and only are staying a short time as they need to get up into the Sea of Cortez before hurricane season.

Yesterday Murray used his travel lift to lift its first boat here.  He pulled Second Nature, a catamaran out of the water.  Our friends Amanda and Roberto arrived at the rancho sometime late in the afternoon and our plan is to go over visiting this afternoon.  

Sunday March 27, 2005   Easter

Yesterday we went over to the Rancho for the second day in a row.  Our intention was to only visit for a short time, but Amanda and Roberto had some interesting guests and we stayed until well after dark visiting with them.  The estero was full of vacationers having fun.  There were even a few people water skiing and lots of jet skis out. 

Today things are quieting down.  We went into the hotel for breakfast and the crowds seemed to have dispersed.  Murray said that when he went over to the beach that there were still many people enjoying the surf and sand.  The hotel asked a Priest to come celebrate Easter Mass.  Several of the cruisers went to the service.  I went but Bill was back on Lanikai dealing with bees that were looking for a home and had found a likely spot in Lanikai.  With some bug spray he finally dissuaded them.  After the service I found him in the pool so I changed into a swim suit and joined him.  A few beers at the bar and we returned to Lanikai for lunch.  After lunch we dinghied down to Murray and Colette’s so that Bill could help Murray find his boat card on his computer.  The estero was calm with hardly any boat traffic.    About dusk we returned to the hotel which now had only workers and cruisers hanging around the bar area.  We ate dinner at Pupusaría Emily.