Semana Santa in Guatemala
A Catholic and Maya Celebration in Santiago Atitlan
A week long hybrid festival of the rebirth of Christ combining Catholic and Maya traditions with a climax of a sleepless three-day march of holy statues.
The fatigue on the thirty faces is apparent. Fifteen hours of carrying a half-ton of flowers, lights, and a brightly dressed statue of Jesus Christ will do that to anyone. As the sun breaks over the peaks of the two of the three volcanoes surrounding the small community of Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala, the men know that their journey is nearing completion.
It’s early Saturday morning of Semana Santa: a week of intense ceremonies and festivities to celebrate the death and rebirth of Christ for both the local Catholic and traditional Maya populations. Thousands have gathered to worship and honor the rebirth of Christ: for the Catholics, as a sign that he is truly the son of God, and for the traditionalists, as the symbolic rebirth of corn projecting a fruitful harvest in the upcoming year.
Beginning of the Week
The week starts with a small group traveling to the coast to gather tropical fruits to use during the ceremonies. After a couple days of preparing the square block with arches of pine and fruit surrounding the 16th century Spanish Catholic cathedral, Wednesday is spent dressing and presenting Ralaj Mam, the lord of the underworld, who reigns while Christ is dead.
Thursday
Thursday night, after several hours of candle ceremonies, chanting, and preparing the statues of Jesus, Mary, and Saint John, the statues are marched out of the church and around the church block. Mary is positioned at one corner and Christ at another with local elders to chant and light candles and incense.
Four men hoist the statue of Saint John on their shoulders and run back and forth between the statues of Mary and Jesus thrusting the statue and screaming at each stop. After about three hours, the statues of Mary and Jesus are moved slightly closer to each other with each lap. This continues through the night, until Mary and Jesus meet at dawn, after about eight hours, in front of the cathedral at when they are carried into the church.
Friday
All morning the statue of Christ is prepared with flowers, robes, and cologne for the official raising of Christ, which starts the Catholic mass. During these preparations, outside the church, artists create colorful “blankets”, 8X15 foot square murals on the street made of colored sawdust depicting religious symbols, Maya scenes, and other scenes of peace and prosperity. These “blankets” span the entire path leading out of the church and around the church block.
After Christ is raised on the cross – the bottom of which is placed in the “Naval of the Earth”, the Maya center of the planet– a Catholic mass begins. The mass is similar to many other Easter masses around the world with singing and readings; the difference is the masses of traditionally dressed attendees packed into the cathedral.
The statue of Christ is lowered from the cross and placed into the “urna”, a giant glass casket that has been carefully prepared with blankets and flowers. The urna is lifted by thirty select community members and slowly, very slowly, walked out of the church led by elders, and followed by a full band and statues of Mary and Saint John. The urna is carried over the “blankets” where the men’s rhythmic motions end up trampling the artwork.
Saturday
At dawn on Saturday, once Christ has been returned to his proper place within the Cathedral, most of the participants go to sleep after days of sleepless celebration.
