Wednesday, April 02, 2008

Good Friday-Almost






We spend Good Friday Eve in Comayagua, the cultural center for traditional Semana Santa celebrations in Honduras. I cannot believe that this beautiful town does not have a more prominent position in the guide books. The town plaza is absolutely beautiful, with a colonial church looming over it. Even though we stayed out late, it was still full of people. It reminded me so much of the Plaza in Segovia (Spain), where I spent many nights hanging out with my friends in the shadow of the cathedral.

The night before Good Friday the locals reenact Christ carrying the cross and the crown of thorns. The Christ is carried on a large platform by people dressed purple and white shepherd's robes. The Christ platform is preceded by a bad, men carrying chains and rattling them on the ground, and women holding candles in handmade torches. It was eerie.

We partook of the street food and watched the locals put down street tape to mark out there alfombras. The guide book describes them as rugs made out of colored sawdust. I could not actually picture this until I actually saw it for myself. The whole town stays up all night making these unbelievable works of art, all so that it can be destroyed the next morning during the recreation of the procession of Christ.


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