Guatemala English language Magazine
The work of the women behind those gorgeous Golden Mantillas brought directly from Spain. People admire the beauty and splendor of La Antigua’s Semana Santa processions, but who’s behind working hard making this happen? Certainly we have heard of Hermandades —organizations that prepare all year long organizing all the procession logistics— and yet another question comes up. Are there any […]
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La Antigua Guatemala embraces the largest celebration in the world for Lent and Holy Week, and this year was no exception. Visitors came from afar to experience a “Semana Santa moment” as Antigueños created countless flower and sawdust carpets throughout the processional routes and an array of holy vigils and processions. With more than 60 activities during the 40-day period […]
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Here is a listing of the most prominent Processions, Velaciones (Holy Vigils) and Activities during Lent and Semana Santa in Antigua. Friday March 2 9am-11pm Velación Jesús Nazareno (Jocotenango Church-Jocotenango, Sac.) Saturday March 3 12pm Children’s Procession Replicas of Jesús Nazareno & Virgen de Dolores (Santa Ana Church, La Antigua) Sunday March 4 9am Procession Jesús Nazareno & Virgen de Dolores (Jocotenango, Sac.) […]
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Here are the results of the March 2018 Photo Contest “Holy Week in Guatemala” WINNERS BY POPULAR VOTE WINNERS BY EDITORIAL DECISION THANK YOU to all the participating photographers — there were so many wonderful images to choose from. You can see all of the excellent submissions on the Revue Facebook page The winners and a number of other photographs will […]
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The Procession of Jesús Nazareno de la Salvación de Santa Catarina Bobadilla (Sunday, February 18th, 2018) Each Sunday during Lent, and leading up to Holy Week in La Antigua, Guatemala, several local congregations sponsor religious processions that depart from their villages, following various routes through its cobbled streets and then returning to their respective churches late in the evening. The […]
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Lent begins this month on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 14, starting the countdown to Holy Week and the largest celebration in the world in La Antigua Guatemala! Yes, we outdid Seville, Spain a few years ago. The most exciting velaciónes (holy vigils) and processions this month are from Santa Catarina Bobadilla and Santa Ines, both located on the outskirts of this magical city. […]
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CLICK HERE for Procession Route Maps of 5 major Semana Santa (Holy Week) events. Check the legend and pick the route you would like to see. (Mobile device friendly) April 9 Palm Sunday: Procession of Jesús Nazereno (La Reseña), from La Merced Church. Palm Sunday / Domingo de Ramos Leaves at 11am — Returns at 11pm Passes La Antigua Central […]
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Lent and Holy Week in La Antigua Guatemala are full of century-old traditions. The first processions were held when the Spanish arrived in Guatemala in the 1520s and became very popular throughout the city’s history. When all of the processional sculptures were moved to Guatemala City in 1773 with the capital’s inhabitants, Antigua was able to bring “new” century- old […]
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This year The Procession of Jesús Nazareno de la Dulce Mirada de Santa Ana will occur on Sunday, March 31. Despite thousands of visitors from around the world who descend upon La Antigua Guatemala for Lent or Cuaresma each year, I don’t think I will ever tire of its pageantry or elaborate celebrations. To be sure, the crowds during Semana Santa […]
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Winners by Popular Vote Winners by Editorial Decision Thank you to all the participating photographers — there were so many great images! The winners and a number of honorable mentions will be published in the April, 2017 issue of Revue. You can see all of the submissions at fb.com/revuemagazine
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Century-old hermandades using social media to increase carrier participation. Lent is here with Ash Wednesday celebrated on March 1. All of the Lenten activities are designed and organized by hermandades. Traditionally, men and boys are in their grandfather’s hermandad and women and girls in their grandmothers’ hermandad. With processions in many of the surrounding areas and all of the active […]
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Stay current with the when-and-where during Semana Santa. The major Antigua procession routes of 2016 are available at this link (click here). Use the check boxes on the map menu for which procession you would like to follow. Currently available, the processions of: Jesús Nazareno del Perdón y Santísima Virgen de Dolores. San Francisco Church Grande. Holy Thursday / Jueves […]
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Holy week at Lake Atitlán is a blending of Mayan and Christian Tradition. Living in La Antigua Guatemala affords me the opportunity of being right in the heart of one of the grandest celebrations of Lent (Cuaresma) in all of Latin America—Semana Santa! Last year, I even had the good fortune of experiencing some of the Holy Week festivities on […]
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Last year, it was estimated that 1.2 million visitors were in La Antigua for Lenten and Holy Week. When the Spanish conquerors arrived in Guatemala from Mexico in 1524, they brought with them the religious traditions from Seville, Spain. Little did they imagine that in the 21st century these celebrations would become the largest in the world. “Historical references to […]
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Winners by Popular Vote Winners by Editorial Decision A big thanks to all the participating photographers. The winners and a number of honorable mentions will be published in the March, 2016 issue of Revue. You can see all of the submissions of the March Photo Contest HERE — and for next month… stay tuned
Read moreHere we go with our monthly Revue Photo Contest. The photo theme for the March magazine issue is “Holy Week in Guatemala / Semana Santa en Guatemala.” Please send your ONE hi-resolution photo to photos@revuemag.com with your name, photo title, and photo location. There will be cash prizes for the top three choices in two categories: 1. Popular vote (most […]
Read moreAntigua used to be second to Seville, Spain for its Lenten celebration until recently. It is now considered the largest celebration in the world with 50 activities during the 40 days of Lent. In March processions fill the streets of Antigua with the fragrance of incense, pine needles, flowers and coroso (a pod also used for carpet making). The increase […]
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April 1 — Palm Sunday: Procession of Jesús Nazareno de La Merced, La Merced church. April 2 — Holy Monday: Vigil of Jesús Nazareno de La Merced, La Merced church. April 3 — Holy Tuesday: Vigil of Jesús Nazareno del Perdón, San Francisco El Grande church. April 4 — Holy Wednesday: Vigil of Señor Sepultado, Escuela de Cristo Church. 2pm […]
Read moreLent began this year on Feb. 22 with Ash Wednesday, and March and April bring some of the largest processions in the world up through Easter Sunday on April 8. Antigua’s celebrations used to be considered second only to Seville, Spain, but during recent years, these celebrations have been considered by many the largest in the world. Introduced by the […]
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A fellow in Scotland coined the name and invented that mirrored tube he called the kaleidoscope, an “observer of beautiful colors.” We don’t need his device to see swirls of beautiful colors that form our sensuous Guatemalan kaleidoscope all year. Color, sound, aromas, tastes and touch are especially strong throughout Lent, from confetti and fireworks at the start, then through […]
Read moreby Eny Roland Hernández
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Holy Week, Semana Santa
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Colorful carpets, thumping bands, pungent odors, rich tastes, thick crowds—through the Lenten season, into Palm Sunday and Semana Santa, Holy Week, all five senses are overwhelmed in every Guatemalan city and village, but nowhere more than in La Antigua Guatemala with its colonial traditions and frequent processions. Intricate floral designs, forming colorful alfombras, carpets, are most elaborate on Good Friday […]
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Colorful and solemn processions will traverse many streets in Central America during Semana Santa (Holy Week) with La Antigua Guatemala’s commemoration of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection among the most elaborate in the World. Each church has its own procession featuring a massive float (anda) carried on the shoulders of as many as 80 colorfully-robed church members (cucuruchos). Residents meticulously arrange […]
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written by Ana Flinder Semana Santa is undoubtedly the most festive week of the year in Guatemala, celebrated with the most pomp and grandeur in La Antigua, and with deeply traditional ceremonies and indigenous style in Santiago Atitlán. Both of these destinations require advanced bookings for lodging but are not the only places to experience a Guatemalan Semana Santa. San Pedro […]
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The third edition of Elizabeth Bell’s Lent and Holy Week in La Antigua hits the shops just in time for the crowds that hit the town for this year’s celebrations. When first approached in the early 1990s with, “You should do a book on Holy Week,” her response was, “What? We go into hiding during Holy Week!” But it did, […]
Read morePHOTO OP by Lena Johannessen
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