Guatemala S Easter Sawdust Carpets

The final processions take place on easter sunday.

Guatemala s easter sawdust carpets.

This is a tradition in antigua guatemala for easter week. The tradition of decorating streets in this fashion began in europe and was brought to the americas by the spanish. Sawdust carpets in guatemala s easter celebrations the world and i 10 4 april 1995. Firecrackers explode as the celebrations draw to a close.

Further reading evans larry l. Arts colorful sawdust carpets coat the streets of guatemala s cities during their iconic easter holy week processions. Daily mail be sure to look at the gorgeous photos what other ephemeral. Tapetes de aserrín are one or more layers of colored sawdust and sometimes other additional materials laid on the ground as decoration sawdust carpets are traditionally created to greet a religious procession that walks over them.

Lord priscilla sawyer and daniel j. The spectacular carpet is part of guatemala s traditional easter celebrations and was created by 5 000 volunteers using 54 tonnes of sawdust. The anatomy of a sawdust carpet. Time lapse of a beautiful sawdust carpet being made and then trampled over by a catholic procession.

What processions to see on holy week in antigua guatemala. Bella guatemala travel antigua is a small city of 35 000 people defined by cobblestoned. The bearers wear white symbolizing joy. Later a solemn procession of roman centurions march over the carpets carrying an image of christ on the cross.

Holy week in antigua guatemala begins on palm sunday with a mass in catholic churches. Guatemala s semana santa the easter festival in the former colonial capital are beyond comparison to anything in the northern hemisphere along cobblestone streets intricate carpets of colored sawdust are painstakingly laid down. Lent in antigua guatemala includes video link carpet in progress antigua guatemala the sawdust carpets that grace the streets and churches of antigua during the season of lent ash wednesday easter day are as beautiful as any valuable oriental rug that you can find. Every year during holy week amazing carpets composed of flowers vegetables fruits and dyed sawdust adorn the streets of antigua guatemala a lovely colonial city home to latin america s most famous easter celebration.

That day la merced church takes a procession out that goes through the streets of the colonial city with sawdust carpets adorning its passage.