Between March 15 and April 18; Palm Sunday to EasterSemana Santa, or Holy Week, is without doubt the biggest occasion of the year in Antigua, the old colonial capital of Guatemala, and one of the largest Easter celebrations in the New World. Thousands of tourists and believers come to the city to witness this massive display of religious theater. The entire Passion play, beginning with Jesus' entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and ending with his Resurrection on Easter, is reenacted in the streets of Antigua—complete with armor-clad Roman soldiers on horseback, who charge through the town early on Good Friday looking for Jesus. Men in purple robes and accompanied by Roman soldiers take turns carrying andas ("floats") through the streets.
CONTACTS:
Guatemala Tourist Commission
299 Alhambra Cir., Ste. 510
Coral Gables, FL 33134
888-464-8281 or 305-442-0651; fax: 305-442-1013
www.visitguatemala.com
SOURCES:
EncyEaster-2002, p. 257
FiestaTime-1965, p. 76
FolkWrldHol-1999, p. 232