Semana Santa in South America is the religious festival of the year. Whatever country or village there is sure to be an intense celebration of faith.
Semana Santa
In the United States each year during Easter Sunday I get together with my family and we have a nice big dinner. For religious holidays in South America, no matter where you are, Semana Santa, or Holy week is the biggest. Many towns shut down for the week and hotels are often booked long in advance. Some of the biggest festivals take place in Ayacucho (Peru) and Popayan (Colombia).
The celebration correlates with the last days of Christ's life (see Mel Gibson's latest flick for a graphic account) such as the Crucifixion as well as resurrection. Andean towns get particularly enthused with intense worship, many processions, parties, contests, and activities. Each day beginning on Palm Sunday, processions often gather people by the tens of thousands who will carry an image of saints, the Virgin Mary, or Christ around the city and through the main square. In some places many will crawl on their hands and knees with large, heavy wooden crosses on their back.
Certain recipes are made that are only found during this time of year. For instance in Northern Ecuador at this time fanesca is found throughout restaurants and in marketplaces. It is made of grains, legumes, cereals, egg, and fish and a hearty broth. It seems like a typical dish, but try to find it another time of year and you are out of luck.
Pagan rituals dating back to the time before conquest sometimes are mixed in with the festivities. For instance, heavy drinking tends to be common in many Andean festivals. The Catholic Church tried quite hard to phase it out, but it just never happened. Many other elements of thousand year rituals are mixed in according to local traditions and often tied to significant events in the life of a certain place. It is very interesting to see as each location around the continent varies a little bit in their celebrations.
