A D V E R T I S E M E N T
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
Sandra Kennedy / For Times Newspapers
Christ carries his cross on a 5,000- to 6,000-pound float, or anda, which is carried through the streets of Antigua.
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Pastel-colored homes, cobblestone streets, purple banners and looming volcanoes were our first glimpses of Antigua, home of the world-famed Easter Festival.
After a 45-minute ride from Guatemala City, my husband and I passed through an intricate wrought-iron door into Hotel Aurora. Its plain façade belied the lovely courtyard brimming with aromatic roses, chrysanthemums and bougainvillea circling a stone fountain.
Usually independent travelers, we decided to tour with Montana-based Adventure Life Journeys. Joining seven other travelers, we experienced the nine-day “Easter Festival,” ChiChicastenango and Solola Markets, Lake Atitlan, a macademia plantation, indigenous markets, villages and Maximon (a Mayan deity). We journeyed on tuk tuks (open air taxis), a flatbed truck, lancha (motorboat), van and chicken bus.
The first morning we met Hugo, our Guatemala-born guide. He led us to the best curbs for procession viewing, shared legends, history and tales with humor and a twinkle in his coffee-brown eyes.
Antigua swells with thousands of national and international travelers wanting to experience this extraordinary Catholic celebration commemorating the Passion, Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Arriving midweek, we spent Wednesday and Thursday chasing processions, admiring alfombra carpets on cobblestone streets and visiting nearby villages.
Good Friday processions began at 3 a.m., when participants dressed as Roman soldiers or Pontius Pilate in preparation for a mock trial and sentencing of Christ. Hugo met us early as we hurried to meet the 7 a.m. sculpture of Christ carrying his crucifix and shouldered by his devotees. Purple robes and hoods were exchanged for black later in the day.
On Holy Saturday, women dressed in mourning while shouldering the sculpture of a sorrowful Virgin Mary. Sunday, people dressed in white to commemorate the Resurrection of Christ.
Hugo whispered to me, “Get on the street before the Anda turns the corner. Photographers are allowed to do this.” I made my way excitedly through a four-deep crowd.
Camera ready, striding backward to get the best photo, I had my first view of the 5,000- to 6,000-pound float lumbering side-to-side on the cobblestones. Shouldering its weight were 50 to 100 curcuruchas or carriers. Solemn expressions on faces, the purple-robed and hooded men stepped in rhythmn down the street.
Preceding the float, the marching band’s funeral music crashed through the air. Thick incense created a haunting, ghost-like fog. Crowds hushed with occasional gasps and tears.
Between processions, alfombras received final touches by families and friends. Striking in designs, colors and stunning in beauty, they appeared to be luxurious carpets. In reality, sand is spread to level the cobblestones. Pine needles or dyed sawdust of brilliant reds, blues, greens, yellows and black are pressed into a patterned stencil. Creative motifs include biblical designs, flowers, birds and fish. Sprayed water is the final touch to keep them fresh.
Short-lived, the carpets become prey to the Roman Centurions and processions that passed over it. Remaining are grains of sand, bits of sawdust, pine needles and petals. Another carpet will replace it overnight. Labors of love, the carpets’ creators find pride in their beauty and contribution to Jesus.
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