Holy Week - Easter - Semana Santa

This is a Christian Catholic celebration that begins on Ash Wednesday and lasts through the entire Lent period.

Some villages like San Martin Tilcajete even have their own Carnival of Fat Tuesday the day before Ash Wednesday. This is a very colorful event as kids dress up and dash thru the streets of their village trying to scare residents that stand to watch them go by and then end up at their main plaza to dance to the rhythm of brass bands that perform while the entire village comes out to see and participate as well.

It’s traditional that every Friday of Lent, in the Juarez Park of the city, flowers are given out to all ladies of the city & girls compete to see who gets the most. On the 4th Friday of Lent is celebrated the Samaritan, which consists in giving out fruit water to any and everyone that walks by/past any church, school, offices and now even all hotels make some for their guests and anyone walking by.

This is a tradition inspired on a Biblical passage from John that mentions how Jesus stopped to rest in the town of Siquiem on a well and when a asked a Samaritan woman for some water to drink. She initially refused but once she condescended and gave him to drink this is a fraternal moment representing how a Samaritan shared with a Jew, which is symbol of all of us to share out of good will to all who are in need.

This is a highlight of Lent as most church congregations try to make outstanding flavors of local tropical fruits and hire brass bands to play and it becomes a joyous surprise to go to a church, rest and enjoy some great fruit drinks.

On Easter Thursday is traditional for all locals to go out and visit 7 churches, so all of the downtown historic area will be lively with families walking in and out of churches and these will all have special ornaments that day.

On Easter Friday are traditional replications of the crucifixion in many villages, churches of the city and neighborhoods too. There are several well organized villages that are near to go see that but if you happen to be at any particular village, you’ll be surprised at how authentically and proudly all try to do their own representation. Each year different families rotate the responsibility and privilege of hosting a station of the cross so that as the processions arrive, snacks, music and drinks are offered to rest a bit and then continue. That same afternoon in the city is organized an amazing procession of Silence thru the main streets of town. This is an impressive procession with floats that are decorated by most city church congregations and enhanced with images of the crucified Christ & Virgin Mary.