Lent - Antigua style! [or in Spanish “Cuaresma” ]

I feel that this special blog on Lent captures some of the conservatism of Antigua,especially its outward religiosity . . . . . .   the VIDEO is a must  (only viewable from the blog itself not via email - if you are reading this as an email then click the title of this email to go to the blog!) 

Lent or in Spanish “Cuaresma”  

My own words plus information from various sources. It is incredible to a secular European to see buildings, shops, offices decked in purple flags and banners to signify this penitential season ~ and the fact that Lent is taken very seriously here with people  participating in many acts of penance! And Antigua is the centre of the action in Guatemala!

Even the trees hace turned purple in the Central Park!

Cuaresma, or Lent, refers to the 40 days leading up to Holy Week in Guatemala. Traditionally, people give something up for Lent, but this is not a common practice in Guatemala, though fish is more commonly eaten during this time in place of meat. Instead, the Guatemalans work on repentance by signing up to carry in the processions as cucuruchos, or float carriers. 

Abandon all hope all ye who enter here!

Was the impression I got from the Lenten display in the Cathedral, as I have written elsewhere, I is SO conforting to see that the RC church's attitude has moved with the times (not!) ~ well at least the good people of Antigua enjoy the spectacle of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse ,saytheir prayers, make their confession and then go outside to the food stalls and consume vasts quatities of completely un-lenten food! Especially red meat and loads of chocolate cofections!

The sound and light display was pretty chilling, lots of soudn effects, screams, rushing winds, booming voices proclaiming damnation everybody seemed to be lapping it up! And obviously (hopefully) with their tongues tucked firmly in their cheeks ......   But this is the firsttime I have seen a high altar in a cathedral used in such a way!

THE VIDEO ..........   sorry for poor quality!   But worth it for the sheer "Cecil B deMilne"ness of it  all   -remember this is the Cathedral's message to the people for lent!

Cucuruchos

While the word cucuruchos now refers to the men who carry Semana Santa floats, the word originally meant a piece of cloth, paper or card that formed a cone, like the traditional hoods used for the processions. Its meaning has evolved over the centuries and is now used to talk about the actual person doing the carrying. Women who carry their own floats at different times are called Las Dolorosas.  (See note later on)

The heavy floats have to be carried through the streets and people pay for the privilege. It's considered to be a form of penance, to wipe away your actions of the previous year and start anew. People come from all over the country to carry the floats in the larger cities.

Everyone who signs up to be a cucurucho will be measured at the shoulders and assigned a turno, or shift. These shifts last for one block. Since the floats weigh up to 7,000 pounds each, with anywhere from 40-140 people carrying them, it's very important that they are well balanced and everyone is replaced frequently.

The typical garb for the cucuruchos is a purple tunic which includes a white or purple headdress or hood. On the morning of Good Friday, the headdresses used are white. Then, from Friday afternoon, everyone switches to black robes and headdresses to symbolize mourning. A black lantern is also part of the costume. The tunics are custom made by seamstresses or tailors during the weeks leading up to the processions.

The tunics used today are influenced by those used by Christian pilgrims in Central Europe in the 9th century. The tunic design was made official in the 1100's thanks to San Francisco de Asis (St. Francis de Asissi). In the early days in Guatemala, during the 16th century, these special tunics were only used by monks and were quite similar to their every day habits. In 1596, in the procession Jesús de la Candelaria, the first cucurucho tunics were used by common folk. Not much has changed over the generations and tunics today are still very similar to those used five hundred years ago.

Las dolorosas

It's important to note that las dolorosas, the women who carry in the processions, are not dressed the same way as the cucuruchos. While there is not actual costume or specific dress code for women, they traditionally wear dresses or blouses and skirts, black or white, depending on the day, with scarves or veils covering their heads. However, many younger carriers wear slacks or even jeans to the processions and don't cover their heads.

 As long as the code of black and white is followed, no one minds what they wear. Many women opt for high heels, which can be treacherous on the cobblestones, particularly with the swaying motion of the float. Women from the hermandades will usually add a cape to their outfit, but there is no standard in existence.

The women carry Mary, who trails behind the main float. Mary's float is usually smaller and less decorated. She is still an impressive figure, however, dressed in impressive robes and trimmed in gold in some processions. In some cases, she is accompanied by other female figures.

Hermandades

Hermandades, or brotherhoods, are separate from the church. There are male and female hermandades and these operate independently. These groups are formed to create elaborate floats and processions. They are the people responsible for just about everything you see in a procession. 

Each hermandad is named after the figure that the group works with. For example, La Hermandad de Jesús de la Caída de San Bartolomé Becerra is responsible for the procession which features Jesús de la Caída.These elders work year round in preparation for the elaborate celebrations. Their efforts include the following:

Fundraising

It takes a lot of money to elaborate the floats for the procession and arrange everything. All the statues taken from the church are fitted with new robes, fresh flowers are used to adorn the church and floats and alfombras are created in front of the church and altar. Fundraising is done through various drives, as well as charging people to carry the floats. They measure people's shoulder heights and organize them by shifts to ensure that everyone on a particular shift will be the same height for carrying the float. Other methods of fundraising include holding a kermesse, or a food fair, and sales of photos and soundtracks from previous Semana Santas.

The members of the hermandad often go door to door, as well, if they are in need of more funds for the santa semana. The floats are very expensive to decorate and costs can go as high as Q200,000. (£18,000)  (equivalent to £80-100K in UK terms!) They also have to pay the bands that accompany the float and Good Friday is particularly costly, with higher payments for bands and much more elaborate décor.

Float Preparation

Designing the floats is a long and complicated process. Each church has its own procession, with a specific theme, so the elders have to come up with a new adaptation of this theme each year. The actual floats take nearly 12 months to complete in most cases. When the processions are in progress, the members of the hermandades are the ones who make sure everything runs smoothly.

 

And to get over the shock . . . . . .

A lenten dish for you to try!

LENTEN FISH - AN ANTIGUA SPECIALITY!

For 8 to 10 portions
Soak 2 pounds of good dried fishin plenty of water overnight.

The next day throw the soaking water and wash the fish.

Leaving the fish in as many portions as needed.

With enough water to cook the fish for 10 minutes.
Fish should be cooked but still firm.

Drain and dry.

Beat until stiff: 4 Egg whites and then add the yolks.
Gently stir them. Flour the fish pieces and wrap them in the egg.
Fry in oil. Put the fish pieces on paper towels to degrease it.

Sperately fry in:
1 tablespoon oil

1/4 cup sliced ​​green onions
2 cups chopped tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, crushed
5 castile Peppers
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup peas tender
2 cups cubed squash or marrow
When it starts boiling put the fish and 1 pound of potatoes cut into thick slice.

Check the seasoning, add salt if you are missing. Boil all together for 8 to 10 minutes.

Serve!


I will be serving up more Lenten details during HOLY WEEK) (SEMANA SANTA!