Buenas noches,
First, lets talk about our breakfast. We sat at a lovely table in the sunshine outside of Lindsey and Gillian’s room, and ate fresh fruit, eggs, beans, cheese, bread, and drank freshly squeezed OJ. Jealous? We’ve been spoiled so far.
Next, we ventured out to the streets of Antigua to take in parade day. Amidst a sea of PURPLE robes and banners lining the streets, were ‘carpets’ under construction.
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| Creating a carpet |
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| A finished carpet |
These ‘carpets’ are made of sawdust mixed with paint and leaves/flowers. The designs are created using stencils and are painstakingly detailed. We watched in awe as locals blanketed the parade route in these intricate creations. We were dismayed when we learned that the carpets are trampled and destroyed as Jesus is carried through the streets on a litter.
We staked out a good spot to sit and watch the procession amongst some Guatemalan ruins. When the parade came through, the streets were filled with smoke from incense and ominous dirge-like music. Then Jesus appeared on a litter carried by 80 men dressed in purple. Next came Mary, also on a litter, this time carried by women dressed in black. Once Mary was right in front of us, the skies opened and it began to RAIN. They quickly had to put Mary down, remove her crown, and place a tarp over the litter.
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| Litter being carried by men in purple |
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| Litter with Mary |
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| Mary with tarp |
We spent the next 15 minutes navigating through the rain and parade-goers to get back to our hotel, only to find it locked with no one home. Joseph the doorman was busy watching the history channel. You can’t make this stuff up.
Here are some other pictures from throughout the day:
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| Market |
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| Zoe looking at scarves |
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| Stencil for a carpet |
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| Zoe and Steph - our newest team members! |
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| Parade |
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| Parade |
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