More Holiness

Semana Santa came and went in Antigua and overall the experience was pleasant. Generally, the streets were more alive than is regularly experienced during a normal week and there was even a vibe that I got which reminded me of a good old county fair back at home during a Michigan summer. This had nothing to do with the Easter celebrations nor the exaltations surrounding Jesus being resurrected, but instead, and more simply, everything to do with all the street vendors in the parks.

 Food Vendor in "Pila Park"

Delicious, delicious food. Vendors fill parks around town and people flock for socializing and a good bite to eat. Normally - and this is what we advise all of our Habitat volunteers - foreigners avoid all street food. If you've ever had food poisoning or Traveler's Diarrhea (or perhaps better known to you as "Montezuma's Revenge," "The Aztec Two-Step," "The Gringo Gallop," "Gandhi's Revenge," "Delhi Belly") than you know where I am coming from.  

Fortunately, for this gringo street food is not an issue, so dig in I must. Steak sandwiches smothered in mayo, ketchup, guacamole, and any fix'ns you want, hot dogs done latino style, tacos, pupusas (which my good Salvadoran friend will argue are done ALL WRONG here in Guatemala), and elote loco ("crazy corn" on the cob covered with mayo, ketchup, mustard, and cheese - disgusting, right? WRONG) are just some of the tasty treats you'll find for cheap. Top all that off with a sweet churro (deep fried dough covered in sugar) and you can't help but feel like you just took a stroll through your local county fair on a summer night. Complete with hawkers selling trinkets, toys, and balloons to all the little kids, all that seems to be missing is the ferris wheel (and thank God, because "public safety" or "regulation" are terms not exactly in the Central American vocabulary). Someday I'll have to share my extraordinary experience about the time I survived on a Matterhorn-ish ride in Mexico....

 Locals enjoying street vendors & the park

Throughout the week various processions passed through the streets with floats of Jesus and the Virgin Mary. I was even lucky enough to catch the ridiculing of and eventual death of Judas':

 Judas' public shamer

Dead Judas

Processions carried on with devotees carrying large floats upon their shoulders:

Cucuruchos carrying a float of Jesus bearing the cross

And Semana Santa culminated with Easter Sunday celebrations with much the same fanfare:

 Easter float

Children carrying a small Easter float

Alfombras continued to be made in the streets and we even had a group of Habitat volunteers in town for the celebration, so we made two Habitat themed alfombras (using saw dust dyed by hand, pine needles, chocolate, flowers, etc):

 Habitat For Humanity Alfombra

So, while disappointed to learn there is no such thing as an Easter Bunny down here in Guatemala and even though I didn't have a single Reese's Peanut Butter Egg, the new customs were a pleasure to experience and the churros more than held me over.