Pensamientos: Because He lives: Semana Santa

Well, I’ve successfully completed my first Lent and Easter time afuera de los EE.UU [outside of the U.S.]. (PS. This post will come with a small Spanish lesson! Hope you're ready. Look for the square brackets [ ] for new words!) I thought about adding to my list of "things I’m learning in Guatemala" something along the lines of, “Lent and Easter are celebrated in vastly different ways here than they are back home.” But let’s be honest, that really doesn’t even begin to cut it. After having experienced this world renown celebration time, I can now not only detail for you this time of year, but can also share my thoughts and opinions on the matter. Spending Easter here has caused me to think about what exactly I believe, and how this holiday in Guatemala fits into that. I don’t claim to have all the answers, nor do I claim to have this whole celebration figured out, but I can share with you what I’ve been observing and working out in my brain.

Semana Santa:

I say Semana Santa, but I actually refer to the whole Cuaresma [Lent] period that I’ve now lived through. Let me just start off by saying, it’s a BIG deal here. You cannot even begin imagine. I’ll attempt to give you a taste, but without being here, it will inevitably fall short. Sorry. Plan a trip to Guate? And if you do, let me know so I can come with? :) Anyways. We have to look back approximately 40 days to find the start of these aforementioned Lenten celebrations. Makes sense, right? Since that’s when Lent started? Right. So anyways... Guatemala, like the majority of Latin America, is predominantly Catholic. In my limited understanding of Catholicism, I think I can safely say that the Lenten season is kind of important. And it is here even more so than other places perhaps. Approx. 40 days ago, as previously mentioned, brought the start of what I will from here on out refer to as Semana Santa ([Holy Week], but it kind of encompasses all of Lent. At least in my mind...). Every weekend, in the weeks leading up to Easter, brings something different. Processions leaving from one church or another, consisting of large platforms [andas] carried by at least 30-40 men dressed in purple robes (or women depending on the figure on top) and carrying a figure of either Jesus in one of the various stages of the cross, or the virgin Mary crying for her son. Velaciones [translates to wake, but it's more of a display] are displayed in the various Catholic churches, depicting scenes from Jesus life and death. And alfombras [carpets]. Always alfombras. Think Rose Bowl, but carpets instead of floats and cartoon characters. They’re usually made in the streets so that the processions can pass over them, but they are also found in the churches in front of the velaciones. I don't entirely understand their purpose, other than tradition. As you get closer to the actual Semana Santa, the processions get bigger, the velaciones have more special affects, and more and more work gets put into the alfombras. And every weekend, more and more people arrive in Antigua. Miles de miles de personas [thousands upon thousands of people, pronounced meeles rather than miles], as our host dad commonly says. And he’s right. I thought they were joking when I first heard how many people come to this little ten block by ten block city, but in all actuality, they weren’t kidding at all. I’ve never seen such a large concentration of people in such a small area in my whole life. Miles de personas indeed. After all the hustle and bustle in the weeks leading up to Semana Santa, all the hotel rooms being reserved, all the venders getting ready their wares, the REAL festivities begin. I’ve never been to Brazil for Carnival, but I imagine it’s a lot like Semana Santa in Antigua, only I guess Semana Santa has a slightly more religious flavor. At least in theory... These miles de personas begin to arrive Wednesday of Semana Santa. There’s processions every day during the week, velaciones with lines so long you may never actually see the velación, and alfombras so ornate you might think it was a rug imported from Persia. We're talking work all night to make these alfombras. Sometimes there are dramatizations where people in period dress act out various stages of the cross in the streets of Antigua. The processions keep getting bigger, and they go for longer periods of time. Some of the processions leave their respective churches in the wee early hours of the morning, and walk the streets of Antigua for up to 15 hours; they just keep switching people in and out every couple of blocks. My host dad told us he used to carry the andas, and that they are HEAVY. You pay to get your spot in the procession (not sure where that’s Biblical?) and the more you can pay the “holier” you are. Behind every procession follows a band blasting the same type of somber music. The biggest processions are Thursday- Saturday, but the real party is Holy Thursday night, or as I like to call it: Stay up all night and walk around Antigua Fest. Because that’s pretty much what everyone does. And since we want to embrace the culture as much as possible, so did we. I’m pretty sure that was my first successful all nighter. I don’t typically do well with no sleep, but I had to try it. Had to be like the Guatemaltecos [Guatemalans]. I’m not sure how religious Holy Thursday actually is, because mostly it’s just a big party. You walk around, look at alfombras or you help make one if your family or a family you know is making one, there’s a big procession that leaves at 4am, you look at more alfombras, you eat street food (well the Guatemalans do. That’s one part of the culture I’ll leave to the locals. Because as fun as a parasite sounds...), you eat cake and drink coffee at all hours of the night at one of the cafes that stays open all night, you watch a dramatization of the Romans reading the sentence, and you party. Again, we didn’t do that, because drinking and discotecas are frowned upon on the Bethel trip. ;) Like I said, I don’t know how much of a spiritual significance there is to all of that. But that’s the cultural thing to do. And in theory, it's a religious/spiritual time. And then if you make it all the way to Friday morning, you promptly go to sleep. For many hours. At least that’s what I did...I can’t speak for the rest of the population, because I was oblivious to the world until shortly before lunch, and then for much time after lunch.

What saddens me about all these festivities, is that they’re virtually over come Saturday. The celebrations all but stop with the death of Christ, and part of me, well a lot of me actually, wants to shout out, “You’re missing the most important part!” Yeah, there is a procession on Resurrection Sunday celebrating the risen Lord, but it’s small, and by that time most people who came to Antigua for the festivities have already gone home. True, they light of fireworks throughout the day on Sunday to further celebrate his resurrection, but I’ve seen bigger displays for a little kid’s birthday than for the risen Lord. I don’t understand everything about Catholicism, and so I don’t know for sure that they always place more emphasis on Christ’s death than his resurrection, but to me Christ’s rising from the dead is the most important thing. It’s the pinnacle of what we believe. Dying for our sins is important, and I’m not trying to undermine his death. But without the resurrection, is he anything more than another man who died? Death comes to us all, but if you check my grave a few days after I’ve died, chances are you’ll find my body. (Please don’t think this is an invitation to dig up my body after I’ve died. Not that I’d care so much... so I guess if you really want to, feel free.) That isn’t the case with Christ. They found the tomb empty. “He’s not here, he is risen!” Christ has conquered the grave. So that I, and you, and anyone else who believes in their heart and confesses with their mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, can live in heaven with our Savior. Forever. By dying, and then rising again He broke the barrier that stood between Him and I, between Him and humanity. I’m not saying the people of Guatemala don’t believe in the risen Lord, obviously that is key to what we all believe. And it’s not that I disagree with all the celebrations that go on during this time. I don’t understand them all, and I’m not sure that I agree with some of the things that go on. But I like that they do celebrate this time. We should celebrate Easter, at least to the extent of recognizing that it’s about more than a bunny who gives out candy in brightly colored eggs. I just feel like maybe the celebrations should focus on the resurrection just as much as the death of Christ. Both are key to what I believe, and one without the other doesn’t really work. Death without a resurrection after is just another man who was buried in a grave. And you can’t very well raise someone from the dead if they haven’t died first. You can’t separate the two, and maybe that’s the issue I have with the Semana Santa celebrations. We should, by all means celebrate what Christ did for us. His death and resurrection broke down the barrier that stood between us and God. Where we did not have access previously, now we can enter freely. Yes, please let us celebrate this fact. With everything we have in us we should daily celebrate this, not just at Easter. Nothing I’ve done, or ever can hope to do is enough to give me the access to God that Christ provided by going willingly to his death. For me. So that I may have life, and have it to the full. So that I may be able to experience the amazing love of God. So that I may be able to live eternally with Him.

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because he lives all fear is gone. Because I know he holds the future, my life is worth the living just because he lives.

And that, my friends, is worth celebrating.

For if, while we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, shall we be saved through his life! Romans 5:10