Because of the coronavirus, it hardly seems like it, but Easter is only a few days away. Life has been trimmed down for most Americans, but I am recalling the Easter that I spent in Guatemala and had the honor of visiting the village of Antigua at Easter. That was the Easter that I saw how the native people of Guatemala, who are truly impoverished, celebrate the death and return of Jesus. The experience was truly humbling.

If I had visited Guatemala at any time other than when I did, I would have had difficulty saying what I loved most about the country. The countryside is a natural wonder. In the jungle areas, the monkeys and the brightly colored birds fill the trees. But my visit was during Easter, and Providence provided me with an even greater spectacle. I had a front-row spot, where I witnessed the most incredible display of religious devotion that I have ever seen in my life.

Apparently, many of the Guatemalans live in the hills outside of the towns, but a day or two before Easter, the native people converged upon Antigua and began to prepare to celebrate the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus and the sacrifice made both by Jesus and by his mother, Mary.

To set the stage, allow me to point out that the native people did not come to Antigua and stay in hotels. In fact, they didn’t even have tents. They merely congregated. They brought baskets of food with them, and they built fires in the street to cook it. If they slept at all, they probably slept where they cooked.

After they arrived for the Easter celebration, the Guatemalans built long wooden frames that stretched from one end of town to the other, and with precision, the Indians filled the frames with intricate designs made of colored sawdust and sand.

And the next day, the men, boys, women, and girls put on their black and purple mourning clothes and lined up for the honor of carrying massive floats THROUGH the incredible designs that they had created in the streets.

 

A small band formed and began to play some of the most cacophonous and yet, the most beautiful tweets, honks, thumps, and drones that I have ever heard. I remembered the scripture:

Praise Him with timbrel and dancing; Praise Him with stringed instruments and pipe. Psalm 150:4

 

I felt that the honest and plain people of Guatemala were putting their best efforts into offering praise. No doubt, they had saved their very best outfits for this day.

 

The oldest men were allowed the privilege of standing closest to the statue of Jesus,

 

And the oldest women were allowed the privilege of standing closest to Mary.

I watched the earnestness with which these people worshiped and offered thanksgiving, and I was ashamed. On Easter Day in Antigua, I had seen a living example of the parable of the Widow’s Two Mites, and I was truly humbled.

The Widow’s Two Mites

21 And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury,² and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites. ³ So He said,“Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; ⁴ for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God,^[a] but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.” Luke 21: 1-4

 

Semana Santa in Antigua

2025: Sunday, April 13 to Saturday, April 19

The most important days of Holy Week are Palm Sunday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and finally, Easter “Sunday. Beginning Palm Sunday–exactly one week before Easter–Guatemalans flock to the city of Antigua to commemorate the day Jesus entered Jerusalem. According to the Bible, he was received by the people with branches of palm trees and leaves in their hands, hence the name Palm Sunday. Palm leaves are collected and made into bouquets, adorned with flowers, and then blessed by a priest.

“Colorful hand-made decorations and embellishments are used for the processions which take place at the famous churches of La Merced, San Francisco and Escuela de Cristo. Guatemalans hang curtains, cloth bows, and paper decorations of purple, red, lilac and yellow in doorways and windows to signify the suffering and royalty of Jesus.” Maximo Nivel

The Importance of Purple Dye in Bible History

“The procession on Palm Sunday includes andas (“floats”) displaying scenes of the figures of Christ and the Holy Virgin of Sorrow. ‘The brotherhood’ coordinates the processions, including the floats and cucuruchos (“bearers”). The floats can be up to 18 meters long, and require 50-100 ‘cucuruchos’, dressed in purple robes with white waistbands, to carry them throughout the procession. Holy shrines have evolved into complex works of art with sculptors and painters competing for the honorable position of decorating and creating scenes for Semana Santa. Similar processionals are held through Thursday, celebrating Jesus’ last days on earth. A band plays outside of the church as people gather for food, drinks, and games.

Holy Thursday & Good Friday

2025: Thursday, April 17 and Friday, April 18

“Though one of the more important processions begin on Good Friday, preparations actually begin up to 24 hours prior, making it imperative to include Holy Thursday in the narrative of Semana Santa. On Thursday, families and businesses start working on their original ‘alfombras’ which can sometimes take months to plan. Following their blueprint, everyone partakes in creating a dazzling ‘alfombra’ worthy of the destruction from a procession, signifying that neither life nor death are permanent. People typically work through the night to ensure the ‘alfombras’ are perfect for the procession early on Friday. Though some people might use stencils for accuracy, others use a free hand technique to construct ‘alfombras’ that are uniquely beautiful and imperfect.

“It is said that it rains every year in Antigua on Good Friday beginning at 3am, and by 4am when the rain clears, processions from La Merced Church begin. The bearers swap their purple robes for black ones, while the previously colorful decorations strung throughout the city are replaced with black decorations to mourn the crucifixion of Christ. The floats depict scenes of Jesus carrying his cross, while marching bands walk behind the floats playing a solemn number to incite emotion. The ‘alfombras’ disappear as the processionals pass along the route, and participants immediately begin making new ones for processionals yet to come.

“A second procession is led by the Escuela de Cristo church with floats depicting a mourning Virgin Mary. The floats are carried exclusively by women who are also wearing black to mourn Jesus’ passing. The streets are filled with sorrow as the roads clear, and the beautiful, colored carpets no longer brighten the cobblestone streets. Thousands of mourners, clothed in black, burn incense and carry lanterns. A figure of Jesus Christ is laid to rest in the church at 11pm. The masses pray quietly, while others openly weep.

Holy Saturday & Easter Sunday

2025: Saturday, April 19 and Sunday, April 20

“The mood continues through Holy Saturday with more processions depicting the mourning mother of Christ. All floats on Saturday are carried by female mourners. Then at 10pm, the churches begin celebrating Jesus’ resurrection. Easter Sunday lifts the solemn mood of the city and replaces it with a festive atmosphere. Easter Sunday finds people smiling and cheering, children waving colored flags, confetti being tossed in the air, and fireworks lighting the sky.” Maximo Nivel