I watched a procession in San Juan La Laguna on Dia De La Gloria which is Saturday of Semana Santa. It was a beautiful procession that began in front of the very old Catholic Church. The church is undergoing an extensive rebuilding but they have left the front wall of the original church as you can see by some of these photos.
Here are some more photos of the fantastic floral carpets that were laid down in the streets prior to processions during Holy Week, Semana Santa.
Fresh pine needles are used in a variety of ways for the processions and floral carpets; I’ve even seen them sprinkled on the floor of small stores and in homes. These pictures are in Antigua of the venders selling the pine needles.
Pine needles for sale in Antigua
In Panajachel the pine needles were used as a base for the decorations of fruits, vegetables and flowers in the alfombras. The rain started a couple hours after these floral carpets were made so they didn’t last long.
The cross is made of Roma tomatoes!
On the ride from Antigua to Panajachel we saw this pickup truck loaded with palm branches to be used in decorations or in church services for Holy Week.
This is such a unique flower! I first encountered it in Antigua on Holy Thursday being used for many decorations and also sold in street side vender stalls. The corozo is the pod / flower part of the palm tree and most of these sold are from the area of Escuintla, Guatemala in the south. They are very fragrant and are sold available only during the Easter season.
The palm flower pods
Blossoms inside pod
The pods are approximately 3 – 5 feet long and inside are the creamy white blossoms which resemble long feathers. Sometimes the whole pod is decorated with additional flowers into a giant bouquet of flowers and other times the individual strands of flowers are sold and then the tiny petals fall off and they are used for more intricate floral carpets (alfombras)
Flowers surrounding the pod and corozos
Using the corozos in a floral carpet in the street for Holy Week
