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Semana santa April 2012

11/12/2012

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I promised to post some photos of Antigua's Semana Santa, Holy Week celebration.  I have already written a blog about this celebration, but it is nearly impossible to imagine without photos.  Thousands of Antiguenens participate in this celebration, both walking with the processions and creating alfombras, carpets in the street.  Some of the alfombras are shown in the slideshow below.  They are made of pine needles and flowers, fruits and vegetables or colored sand applied to stencils. The designs are watered to keep them in place and fresh.  The processions carrying Jesus and Mary walk through these beautiful carpets which are then destroyed by their passage.
During the first days of the holy week, children are major participants, with the boys and men wearing purple robes and the girls wearing white.  The women mostly wear black.  A part of being in the procession involves carrying the elaborate statutes which tell the story of Jesus's last week.  The men carry Jesus and the women carry Mary.   The heaviest of these floats weighs 2 tons.  Moving these enormous scenes, especially around corners, involves tremendous care and coordination of effort.  All processions are accompanied by more incense (copal) than I have ever inhaled in my life, partly due to the enthusiastic boys swinging the incense censors.
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    Picture

    Louise "Luisa" Wisechild, PhD

    I first visited Guatemala in 1995  as a member of the Vashon Island sister city delgation to Santiago de Atitlan, Guatemala.
    I been living in Guatemala since 2011.   I didn't intend to stay  -- my idea was to develop tours in numerous countries.  But I fell in love with Guatemala --  where every day I learn something new or see something I have not seen before.  Guatemala is a land of diverse natural beauty.  Living in a Kachikel Maya pueblo, which is also a gathering spot for international budget travelers, makes this a rare and fascinating residence.    My  curiosity and my heart  are engaged here every day, in my relationships.   .  I enjoy  speaking spanish with friends, and learning more about the Maya culture, giving tarot readings in Spanish and also singing my growing  repertoire of  Spanish songs. 
    I am a  lifelong independent traveler and group leader.  As a graduate student in interpersonal communication and the creative arts, I  led tours to Oaxaca, Mexico for the Day of the Dead and co-facilitated a tour to the goddess sites of Mexico with Global Awareness through Experience.  I have  been fortunate to visit Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Bali, Thailand, Australia, Europe, Canada and  the US.   Bit by bit, I will go global again, but Latin America is so enchanting. . . .

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