Semana Santa (part 2 of 2)

Mary, Jenny, and Me

March 27th - Wednesday
Katie and I took a bus towards Comayagua and were dropped off in the dark outside Palmerola U.S. Military base because the bus did not go directly into the city. We arrived around 9pm and thankfully a taxi was nearby to drive us to our hotel where we met up with Jenny, Mary, and the others. People have told me repeatedly to be careful when traveling by taxi, especially as a gringo and a female. In Roatán, there are certain taxi car numbers that you know not to take. It's too bad that a few taxi drivers have given the others a bad name because I've met some very nice drivers, especially in Comayagua. The taxi drivers during Semana Santa were all very kind. They made sure we knew all the events going on in town. My favorite taxi driver was listening to Catholic mass on the radio. Awesome!

The processions started following Holy Thursday mass and continued through Easter Sunday. Generally, in a procession, there is a giant heavy platform which is elaborately decorated by scenes of Jesus’s Passion and Resurrection. It is carried by fifty people, wearing heavy cloaks with tall peaked hoods. Their clothing comes from flagellants in Spain who would wear hoods as a form of punishment or penance. Flagellants were extremists during the 13^th and 14^th century who participated in physical forms of mortification such as whipping. The reason for participating in these processions today is indeed an act of penance, but in a non-violent way and completely voluntary. People sign up to carry a platform as a sign of penance and by wearing hoods and draped robes, they are provided anonymity.

Shortly after the evening procession started on Holy Thursday, local Hondurans began a long night of constructing the most beautiful alfombras (carpets) you could ever imagine out of colored sawdust, beans, rice, and other materials. The carpets were found all around the central plaza area: in every street and alley way. People worked tirelessly from 11pm that evening until 10am the next morning for the Good Friday procession. We came early the next morning to walk around and admire the colorful carpets. There were thousands of people who came to look at the carpets and watch the procession. Stations of the Cross were said in Spanish and English, as the platform processed over the carpets in town dispersing the sawdust.  

On Saturday, we attended Easter Vigil mass with eight religious brothers at the Franciscan Friary. It was a BEAUTIFUL liturgy and one that I will always remember. The mass began outside in silence underneath a vast amount of stars with mountains in the background. The celebrating priest lit the Easter candle from a bonfire and passed that same flame to each of our candles. We moved into the small chapel and began listening to readings from the Old Testament, followed by beautifully sung Psalms. The friars invited about twenty guests for mass and a reception afterwards. It was a great night!

We spent most of Easter Sunday drinking awesome frozen lemonadas, journaling, and reading in the central plaza area of Comayagua. The Cathedral also had an outdoor mass where hundreds of men, women and children gathered to celebrate our Risen Lord. It was a beautiful and very memorable Semana Santa! I am blessed to have been a part of these long standing traditions in Comayagua and to have shared these experiences with my sister and good friends. 

                              Holy Thursday Procession 

Holy Thursday


Locals spent the entire night making beautiful sawdust alfombras (carpets)

Cathedral in Comayagua

 
Procession on Good Friday morning

Stations of the cross

Last minute touches before the procession began

 

 eggs and cashews were used to enhance this design

 Fe = faith

The details were amazing!!

Papa Francisco 

  

 "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid" ~ Jesus ~

Matthew: 14:24

                                

Me, Mary, and Jenny

Our last night all together for supper

 

Mary, Jenny, & Katie

Our favorite place with great lemonadas!

Semana Santa (part 1 of 2)

Blessing of the palms on Palm Sunday
 

Semana Santa (Holy Week) is one of the most celebrated times of the year in Honduras. The celebrations begin on Palm Sunday when Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem for the final time. His arrival is reenacted through a series of processions, celebration of the Eucharist, and many other unique local traditions to commemorate the final days in the life of Jesus of Nazareth. 
 

My sister came to visit me during this time. We spent several days in Roatán and then traveled throughout the mainland of Honduras. I am excited to share with you our journey!



Palm Sunday mass at Sacred Heart of Mary Church

We attended Palm Sunday mass at Sacred Heart of Mary Catholic Church in West End. It is a beautiful outdoor church that is surrounded by bamboo trees and a wooden cross draped in white lights and a red cloak; the color red signifies the coming Passion of Christ. The church is located in the backyard of a faithful parishioner and the mass has been celebrated there for nearly twenty years.

 

Early that next morning, Katie and I shared a taxi ride with a well-seasoned Canadian traveler. We made our way to the dock and ferried across the Caribbean with several hundred others to the mainland. We transferred to a bus in La Cieba, loaded up on some gas station food for the next means of transportation: a bus to Copan. We rode for several hours then transferred in San Pedro Sula and rode for several more hours. Katie likes to tease me ever since our cross-country road trip years ago that I have ‘traveler’s narcolepsy’. I have been known on numerous occasions to fall asleep almost immediately when traveling long distances by plane, car, bus, and now ferry. Needless to say, I slept almost the entire way to Copan. We arrived as the sun was setting; giving us enough daylight to walk uphill to our hostel rather than pay the few dollars to take a three-wheeled taxi, commonly known as a tuk tuk. Katie did a great job sporting our brother’s large red traveler's backpack- good work!
 

Our Copan hostel—Via Via—doubles as a restaurant/bar and is a hotspot for backpackers. We were forewarned about the noise level, but Katie was determined to stay there because it seemed cool and was the cheapest in town. I had to agree. I had no problem falling asleep thanks to the roosters and woodpeckers that I routinely ignore in the mornings on Roatán. Katie came prepared and planned her nightcap with a Benadryl, attempted to use wax earplugs and even resorted to wrapping her head in a towel. Haha. We were both really happy with our hostel despite the noise level.

Copan is a quaint Honduran town with an archeological site of the Mayan civilization. We spent several hours walking through the Mayan ruins. Katie and I met up with two of my CMMB nursing friends. Jenny works in a remote area of Honduras called Guimaca and Mary lives in the former capital of Honduras, Comayagua. Jenny was traveling with a few friends who are volunteering with her in Guimaca as teachers.

We traveled to a nearby village looking for an artisan shop. Along the way, we came upon Hacienda San Lucas. It overlooks the city of Copan and is a peaceful hideaway for groups and/or individuals. The girl who helps run the hacienda invited us to have breakfast the next morning and offered us the use of their outdoor yoga room. We woke up at 4:45 the next morning because the girls wanted to do yoga at sunrise, but I opted out and went for the hammock. :)

 

Helen, Me, Jenny, Mary, & Alicia

 

Mayan Ruins

 

Mayan Ruins

 

tuk-tuk!

 

outdoor yoga room