The Holy Week Chronicale is a look into the people that attend and believe that maybe this time their miracle will come to be. These are the people that take the bible literally as a way in life to be.
THE MANGO BLADE RUNNER
An indigenous woman can now sell her pealed mangos in the town center market. There was a time when this was illegal. For the fight for civil rights which they have won sent the opposing groups to build supermarkets where the indigenous still lack the ability to get their products in the grocery stores as being the store keeper. Understanding the meaning of being a member of the privilege class is no different in any country in the world. But at least she can sell her mangos on the street corner today and have no fear.
The hotdog man comes up short with all the buns to fill. Today is a big package day. Holy week vendors can clean up even if he's not wearking " and on GQ magazine.
The child recalls what she has learned in school. She is pointing out the biblical figures.
A Pilgrim holds his modle figure of Cristo carring the cross. He won an award in Minitures. I guess we can call him "The Prince of Minitures".
In Antigua Guatemala, Holy Week began with excitement. FIrst the Volcano erupted in the morning, and then the procession people took it as a favorable sign from God.
The pageantry and performance of the swaying casket, and the endearment each woman portrays as the mother of christ is worthy a Tony Award on Broadway. The bible interpretation has always boggled my mind. How can you not have a woman express herself and leave her in silence. In the Koran Mohammad speaks on the subject and says this never happened, and that Mary fled distressed.
The two children are not in the bible passages, but in the silence of the woman's voice, just maybe Magdalena might have been pregnant. Then again life is to be interpreted as a rumor and not validated thanks to Google.
One day the young gril in white will have her confirmation, but now she is remembering her bible lessons while the procession passes.
You can get lost in symbolism during holy week. You don't to. You come to see one of the greatest reenactments on the plant. Somehow while watching people of Guatemala you get drawn into a parallel story of your, and the bible.
Then you see your first woman at the head of the coffin. You see a mother's lost and that woman somehow translates for all our lost for a love one, and the pain which is apart of blind justice.
This is Holy Week in Antigua Guatemala for those that did and still suffer along the journey of life.
The thuribles releases the smoke for purification. The incense is used to purify, cleanse, drive out evil. It is also very masculine in the latin world , Each Thuribil holder sees this as an extension of their soul as they loose themselves in holy week.
Many members that know how to work with their thurible are able to give a unique signiture to how they see the act or moments of purification.
Feeding the thurible.
A pilgrin embraces his children and weaves up the street while his wife follows. He walked in the first procession of the morning.
In Antigua Guatemala during holy week, three members of the procession wait to go to their stations.
Religion out side of the modern metros is still the social media which has been thought to be the saviour of all. In Guatemala indigenous people were beaten , murdered of daring to have a shop space in the central markets, Out side of fighting for justice, civil rights with eventually came to be. Religion was all they had. Like all that have walked a path of oppression can find faith and compassion in religion. The fact that Cristo rose from his death transfers into faith for the oppressed. In thought, These things shall pass." but each man and woman must walk alone in the valley and shadow of death and know not to fear evil. And know that Cristo died for the sins of man.
In every one's thought, one can only respect the story of christ, and especially on Holy week that just maybe things will work out and the pain we all hold will resolve from the harassment, torture, which is tolerated , behind that fact that in the other world life will be better.
The bowls which contain the smoke are the thuribles. The smoke is incense used to purify, cleanse, drive out evil.
Just imagine the church using this to fight the plague. in Europe.
As the procession passes on. You cant help to feel your inner crucifixions which you fight and eventually learn to let go. For the Love of man, there is the love of Cristo., We are all one and the closeness seen and felt by these men somehow create a common bond in modern times.
There are all these little adjustments to the costume. Here this individual has figured out not only how to filter the bright light, but how to block the filters smoke from the purification reenactment.
He has brought his wife to holy week. the effigy of christ carrying the cross and cast a shadow on his wife when the sun is in the west today. manuel hopes for likeness of the Christ last miracle before the crucifixion.
One can wonder what the artiest of this christ creation must have been thinking. I have to say the deal Cristo gave himself was mortally a bad deal. Llike the "Thinking Man", he's depicted thinking about what might come next.
A young boy learns how to be one with the thurible during the act of purification.
There is a connection in the daily life, the daily purpose of generating new life. All in the light of Mary.
In Antigua Guatemala during holy week, a black hood in the procession announce the crucifixion of christ.
A pilgrim stands by the entrance of the old cathedral and sing, "You have to walk alone". The mood is intense , as thousands of people flown silently in the evening from the calling of the bell in Antigua Guatemala
A few years back, This priest was walking to a vespar at another church. A woman distressed had asked the rest of the fathers in Antigua to see her dieing brother. None came, all had other business todo. She came apon him and he went with her to give her brother his last rights. He listens to all people in the street that need to find resolvement.
When the processions are all over. All the floats that depict the stations of christ lieading to his crucifixion are towed back to a secure area for safe keeping.
The head of Cristo rests symbolically on the shoulders of a young man, as it doeas in everyone's life no matter where we are.
The Store keepers now over stocked will have to hope to sell their over projected goods that never made it into the tourist hands and mouths. Then again to have under projected. The holy week of windfall money would never have given him a maximum profit. Now he has to figure out how the surplus can be absorbed.
The Store keepers now over stocked will have to hope to sell their over projected goods that never made it into the tourist hands and mouths. Then again to have under projected. The holy week of windfall money would never have given him a maximum profit. Now he has to figure out how the surplus can be absorbed.
The Store keepers now over stocked will have to hope to sell their over projected goods that never made it into the tourist hands and mouths. Then again to have under projected. The holy week of windfall money would never have given him a maximum profit. Now he has to figure out how the surplus can be absorbed.The Store keepers now over stocked will have to hope to sell their over projected goods that never made it into the tourist hands and mouths. Then again to have under projected. The holy week of windfall money would never have given him a maximum profit. Now he has to figure out how the surplus can be absorbed.The Store keepers now over stocked will have to hope to sell their over projected goods that never made it into the tourist hands and mouths. Then again to have under projected. The holy week of windfall money would never have given him a maximum profit. Now he has to figure out how the surplus can be absorbed.
With Holy Week behind her, things can go back to normal. However a few good things have come out of her answers for miracles. She now has a plastic container to store water in, or left overs. The good part is that the cap and handle is undamaged. With a little washing from the public washing station which was built a few centuries back. She'll be able to plastic bottle serviceable. Sometimes plastic is better than cultural pottery. When you think of it. Levi Strauss jeans has replace the majority of indigenous clothing. So why not recycle a manufactured plastic bottle for domestic use. In time the cleansing affect will wash away cultures for a homogenized global village.
The town is peaceful, no tourist, just the sound of wind, birds, and a passing donkey. The squeak from the door and a tiny Hobbit like Guatemalan like grand mothers steps out for a moment to feel the warm air on her face. "ahh", she says in Spanish, its how it should be", Silent as it is in church for prayer".
The morning begins in a quiet way. You can hear the birds and the sound of the wind against your ears. No clutter of people, each street you are alone. The the squeaking of a wooden door with hand made metal hinges move and a tiny but pleasant crone like woman appears and says, "Today begins the calm spring after Cristo rose".
We enter this world learning how to wish.
Star bright star light, first star I see tonight.
I wish I may I wish I might Have this wish tonight.
In the end that star represents God and again we pray.
Holy weeks are a time for people to pray, and to ask Cristo for Miracles just like in the bible. It is man's paralleling his or her life to make the stories one, in the likeness of the scriptures. If not answered then it is business as usual in a country where just about everyone that has a gun will die from a gun.
In the mist of night, the death calls drift as apart of the etherial holy week.
For me it is just a valuable memory of a people that believe in the story of Christ literally.
There begins the nightmare and the beauty for which I call the "Twilight zone", in a land of religious belief, and blind reality.
This is the end of my Holy week.
For me it is just a valuable memory of a people that believe in the story of Christ literally.
There begins the nightmare and the beauty for which I call the "Twilight zone", in a land of religious belief, and blind reality.
This is the end of my Holy week.
