Floats in the Dark March 2, 2015
We are winding down our time in Guatemala. We leave on Wednesday, March 4, for Ft. Lauderdale, then for Maine the next day. We'll stay with dear friends, Jane and Don, for 4 days before flying out of Boston on Monday, the 9th, for London. Quick turn-around. There wouldn't be any turn-around if it hadn't been for the airline prices and the fact that returning to Maine is the cheapest way to do it. But it will be good to check in with Sam and our house and our friends - and get a haircut and swap out a few clothes and get a fresh supply of books. In fact, it's a very good idea, after all!
Before we leave Guate, there are still stories to tell. I'm not sure that I'll get to them all. Our Safe Passage time is finished, and I am feeling good about our four days there last week. It was great to connect again with Charly and Jordie, as well as offering a bit of assistance to the hard-working kitchen crew and to Sam, the eager librarian, and, in general, being a brief part of this amazing endeavor.
Last evening, we took in yet another Lenten procession in Antigua, our last, as they occur only once a week at this point in Lent. This one took place at night, which made it even more impressive than the daylight one here last Sunday. I had thought that I'd had enough processions, but there is something magical, mysterious, medieval, dare I say "primitive", and compelling about this ancient tradition. And without a television to watch Downton Abbey, what else were we to do on a Sunday evening?
The processions in Antigua always snake their slow way around town for 8 hours or more! We had decided that we'd try to catch up with this one at 7:30 pm near parque central, the central plaza. As we strolled through the park, a festive crowd had gathered. Hawkers were selling little lighted balls that they toss in the air, a couple of which were stuck high up in trees. Indigenous women, always a presence in the park, seemed less insistent in trying to sell scarves and table runners. Their male counterparts added the sounds of wooden flutes to the background noise. Guys with great loads of pastel cotton candy, all bagged up, appealed to the families with young children. It was certainly a different crowd from the hordes of young adult bar-hoppers that we had seen the previous evening, rivaling stories of Portland's Old Port on a Saturday evening.
one of the cotton candy guys from last week's procession
Processions bring out entrepreneurs. Such a drab place, Guate :)!
Purple robes and a pine needle street carpet being created
Last night, a few stray purple-robed young men and the faint sounds of music let us know that the parade was approaching. We chose a spot away from the fray to watch, under a street light so that I could see the faces of the participants. The scattered men soon expanded into a line of serious-faced men in more purple robes, continuously moving along both sides of the street beside the sidewalks. Next came young incense swingers. I wonder if there's competition among the boys as to who gets to hold the incense pots. The hot, fiery coals inside must be pretty tantalizing! These were the appetizers, followed by the main course - a massive, swaying float, all lit up and conveying several life-size statues of Jesus, Mary, and apostles.
The large band that trailed the float played a haunting melody. The conductor walked backward in order to face the band; one set of big kettle drums was being pulled by a kid, while the older gentleman playing them had to hustle to keep up while still playing! The cymbal players and huge drums beat out a slow, deep rhythm that reached into my innards. Tubas added gravitas.
Despite having seen other processions, beginning here in Antigua in 2011, this one was an experience that will stay with us for a long time - the extravagance, the intensity, the antiquity of this religious rite. The darkness seemed to amplify it all. We hear that the processions of Holy Week are much grander, still. I can't imagine! They are something that we'd like to experience - but not this year.
Before we leave Guate, there are still stories to tell. I'm not sure that I'll get to them all. Our Safe Passage time is finished, and I am feeling good about our four days there last week. It was great to connect again with Charly and Jordie, as well as offering a bit of assistance to the hard-working kitchen crew and to Sam, the eager librarian, and, in general, being a brief part of this amazing endeavor.
Last evening, we took in yet another Lenten procession in Antigua, our last, as they occur only once a week at this point in Lent. This one took place at night, which made it even more impressive than the daylight one here last Sunday. I had thought that I'd had enough processions, but there is something magical, mysterious, medieval, dare I say "primitive", and compelling about this ancient tradition. And without a television to watch Downton Abbey, what else were we to do on a Sunday evening?
Last night, a few stray purple-robed young men and the faint sounds of music let us know that the parade was approaching. We chose a spot away from the fray to watch, under a street light so that I could see the faces of the participants. The scattered men soon expanded into a line of serious-faced men in more purple robes, continuously moving along both sides of the street beside the sidewalks. Next came young incense swingers. I wonder if there's competition among the boys as to who gets to hold the incense pots. The hot, fiery coals inside must be pretty tantalizing! These were the appetizers, followed by the main course - a massive, swaying float, all lit up and conveying several life-size statues of Jesus, Mary, and apostles.
The large band that trailed the float played a haunting melody. The conductor walked backward in order to face the band; one set of big kettle drums was being pulled by a kid, while the older gentleman playing them had to hustle to keep up while still playing! The cymbal players and huge drums beat out a slow, deep rhythm that reached into my innards. Tubas added gravitas.
Despite having seen other processions, beginning here in Antigua in 2011, this one was an experience that will stay with us for a long time - the extravagance, the intensity, the antiquity of this religious rite. The darkness seemed to amplify it all. We hear that the processions of Holy Week are much grander, still. I can't imagine! They are something that we'd like to experience - but not this year.
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