Semana Santa

Hello Folks out there in Computer land!

So although Semana Santa is now weeks in the past, I have yet to give you some insight into my amazing travel experiences. During Semana Santa in Honduras, as in most of Central America and other places in the world, time is taken to travel, visit friends, and head to your local swimming hole. I took the oppotunity to visit my good friend Jessica on the north coast early in the week and me and some of my closests 10-15 friends slept on her living room floor in high fashion on blow up mattresses. We took in the sun and beach during the day (me more than others) and hung out and played pictionary in the evenings.

For the end of the week, we all traveled down to Comayagua. Comayagua sits in about the center of Honduras and was the orginal capital of the country. It really is a beautiful city. It very much has the reminents of its colonial past complete with small windy streets, beautifully preserved cathedral, adn large central square.

This is my first picture so stay with me...

The reason we all went to Comayagua in droves such droves of gringos (I think there were up to twenty of us in just our hotel) was to see the famed alfmobras. We spent most of the day on Thursday visiting the 16th and 17th Century churches in Comayagua as well as the bell tower of the Cathedral, the Casa de Cultura, and the religious artifact museaum. The museaum unfortunatly burned down the next week adn I haven´t been able to find out how much of the history was lost (makes my heart just to think of it). Thursday evenign we all had dinner at a tacky Mexican food restaurant and caught the tail end of a a drama being performed for thousands in the Park of the Last Supper through Jesus´s arrest in the Garden. It was a day probably filled with more culture than I have had in a while!

Thursday evening, they begin making the alfmobras or carpets which are made from dide saw dust in intricate patterns and designs. Each alfombra is paid for by a group or family adn the design is their own, each different and unique. Thursday evenign there is a procession through the streets beginning around seven and nto ending until around ten, meaning that most carpets cannot be begun until sometime after that. All teams work through the night adn some barely finish before the Processional of the large platform carrying a statue of Jesus through the city lead by the Priest who stops every couple of blocks for one of the stations of the cross.

There are many theories about where this tradition comes from and I found a couple to put here:

`There are several different theories regarding the history of the alfombras.
The Christian theory for carpet making appears to stem from the Bible itself. The Canonical Gospels describe how Jesus rode into Jerusalem, where people laid down their cloaks and small branches of trees.
Another theory is that local residents threw pine needles on the cobblestone streets to make it easier on the feet of the penitents carrying the floats (andas). Then later, some neighborhoods added flower petals. From there each street, wanting to outdo the other, started adding designs—until brilliantly colored sawdust alfombras became the norm.
Some say the custom of making carpets can be attributed to Spain and the Canary Islands. However, it is believed that in pre-Hispanic times Mayans made carpets for ceremonial reasons, which carried over to Holy Week celebrations. ´


`In many parts of Central America, the creation of alfombras is a typical Easter event. Alfombras are “carpets” made of brightly dyed sawdust that line the streets where Easter processions pass. These temporary decorations are said to have originated when carpenters used to spread sawdust on the streets to soften the path for the penitents who carry the heavy floats in the processions. Shortly after their construction, these intricately patterned carpets are trampled by people walking with the processions.The history of the carpets can also be traced back to the bible, where the Gospel describes how when Jesus rode into Jerusalem the people laid down their cloaks and tree branches in front of him.´


Overall, I would think that the alfombras lighten the load of the penitents who carry the large paltform through the city as well as symbolicaly cushioning the footsteps of Christ to the cross. And I think that the very destruction of the alfombras in so few hours after their creation is
really amazing.

When we forced the poor Hondurans to let us help!

So we all went to bed some time later andthen woke up at the crack of dawn to see the results. In the early morning light the alfombras practically glowed from their places gently laid in the street. Most group swere finsishing up last minute touches or sleeping along side their creations. We did see one guy who had done his own carpet by hand complete with chading and texture, no stencils. It was awesome! Around nine or so the processional started. A large platform carried by about twenty penitents complete with the traditional garb cone hats, maks, and robes. (If you´ve never seen it, much like you´d imagine someone from the KKK.) And they carry the platform very, very slowley, two shuffles forward, one shuffle back. And it most have been so hot in those dense red robes and masks.

Unfortunalty, I didn´t get any pictures of the procession as my camera died right before. But I haev posted a monton more pics of the week on my picasa site as well as on facebook!

http://picasaweb.google.com/brenna.gormley/SemanaSanta#

Hope you enjoy!

Lots of love,

B