It's been building up all month ~ the celebration of Semana Santa (Holy Week) leading to Easter. This is a huge holiday in most of the Caribbean countries we've visited. We noticed last year when in Providencia (Colombia) that Good Friday usually involves a community procession depicting Jesus Christ carrying the cross.
At our current location this year, in the Rio Dulce, Guatemala, the procession is on the water. Very fitting for this river-based community! Not only do all of the local villages and sailors gather to watch, it appears that every Guatemalan family from the city and beyond have come to the river to celebrate Semana Santa. The other major locale for Easter celebrations in in the city of Antigua, where they make amazing alfombras (rugs) made of flowers to carpet the roads.
The annual procession in the Rio Dulce takes a flotilla of boats to each of 12 stations who have signed up to participate and donate. This includes local businesses, as well as private homes.
There are many posh houses dotting the river banks that are weekend and summer homes of Guatemalan families, usually from the city.
We are used to seeing/hearing their helicopters land at the marina right over our apartment to come to their boats every weekend.
If understood correctly, each host reads a prayer representing a station of the cross, followed by a benediction by the priest to bless the residence.
Like us, quite a few spectators join in the flotilla. Bob & Trish took me along for a ride to see a few of the stations from on the water.
Our marina and others surrounding us were also stops along the route (fill'er up!).
Hotels and cabanas in Fronteras are booked during this time as well and there is even more excitement to come next week with a local ferria.
Watching the booths and rides being set up, the supports for the ferris wheel and bumper cars look questionable (!!), yet it still looks like good family fun.
