We are fortunate that our time in Antigua, Guatemala, fell during the annual Semana Santa celebration. Semana Santa means Holy Week and the people of Antigua celebrate with traditions that date back hundreds of years.
In this week’s video, we take you into the hustle and bustle of old Antigua. We show you the colorful alfombras that are crafted right in the cobblestone streets out of dyed sawdust, sand, fruit, and other plant parts. After hours are put into their creation, these intricate “carpets” are walked over by processions that weave throughout town in the days leading up to Easter.
Speaking of processions, you’ll get to see one in our video. The one we share started at 2:30 a.m. in the morning and didn’t finish until 2:30 p.m. on Good Friday. Floats are carried by dozens of faithful people (not wheels and motors) as an act of devotion. You might even catch sight of a small child holding the hand of a parent carrying the weight of a heavy float. All of this is extremely moving to see, especially when paired with solemn music from the parading orchestra.
We wish you and your loved ones a wonderful Easter weekend. Even though we are thousands of miles away from our home country of the United States, we can still celebrate the life of our risen God with many others.
What’s next?
We plan to spend one more week in Antigua, a charming city with so much to see. Maybe we’ll hike a volcano! Afterwards, we want to see Lake Atitlan and the black, volcanic beaches on the Pacific Ocean. So stay tuned. We’ll be sharing more of beautiful Guatemala with you soon.
Have you ever visited Guatemala? What do you recommend we see? Please let us know in a comment. While we can’t see everything, we sure do our best!
-B
HI, MANY OF THE OVERLANDERS WOULD LIKE BORDER CROSSING DETAILS. HOW WAS THE BELIZE/GUATAMALA BORDER?
Hi Jerry, it was our smoothest crossing to date. Everyone in Guatemala was very professional and the process was orderly. We document all of our border crossings in detail on iOverlander. Our Belize/Guatemala crossing is documented at the listings titled Home Protector Insurance Co., Border crossing: Guatemala -> Belize, Bridge fees, and Guatemala to Belize. You’ll find them all at Melchor De Mencos on the map. Hope this is helpful.