So, let me describe for Holy Thursday in La Antigua. But, first you need to know that now that Holy Week is here, processions are everyday and will conclude with the large procession on Easter. Each day a procession begins at a different church and has a different theme and a different route. Wednesday was "Jesus Nazareno del Milagro," yesterday was "Jesus Nazareno del Perdon," and today's is "Jesus Nazareno de la Merced." They usually begin early morning and last until anywhere between 10:30 pm and 1:00 am. Yesterday's began at 1:00 in the afternoon and was not concluded until almost 12 midnight. The procession for today began at 4:00 this morning and is suppose to conclude at 2:00 this afternoon.
As I mentioned in another post, the people and will make "alfombras," in the streets for the procession to pass over. Picture carpets of flowers and colored sand or sawdust instead of palm branches. Because the procession last night did not completely conclude until after midnight (that includes the cleaning crew following behind the procession to clean up all the trampled alfombras) some people began making their alfombras for today's procession last night.
Well, back to Holy Thursday. I went out early in the morning to walk around and take some photos in a part of town I had never been to. In that section people were already hard at work creating their alfombras. I was there between 8:30 and 9:00, and it was obvious that some of the folks had already been at work for several hours. I took some photos and made a few video clips of the community and festive nature of alfombra creation. It is a community affair in that neighbors work together to create the alfombra that will cover the street in front of their homes. In addition there was often music playing: Some played recordings of the processional music, while one group was playing "oldies" from the States. Vendors were out selling little toys and cotton candy and others had set carts, booths and makeshift kitchens in the park and church courtyard, cooking and selling tortillas, and a variety of hot foods.
In the afternoon around 1:00 I went to my language school to watch the beginning of the procession from the San francisco Church. The procession was scheduled to pass in front of the school upon its return to the church. The scheduled time was 10:30 pm. Work started on our school alfombra just before 2:00 in the afternoon and was not completed until around 7:30 or 8:00. I worked for most of the day, but returned home about 7:00 to get something to eat. The finished product was absolutely amazing to behold. On either end we had the school logo and in the middle were representations of Jesus praying and "Jesus the Good Shepherd." That evening as people were walking around viewing the alfombras, many people stopped to view ours and commented on how striking it was. The others on our street were also beautiful, but were less intricate and made with flowers and evergreens. The others also took far less time to make and therefore were not started until just about 2 hours before the procession was due to pass.
The making of an alfombra is a very exciting and interesting experience. Everyone knows that once the procession passes over, the alfombras they are completely destroyed. But yet, there is a love and devotion that goes into creating these incredible works of art. I know that for myself, as I was doing my part there was only the fleeting thought that what I was doing would be destroyed in just a few short hours, never to be seen again. The beauty and creativity put forth in a few hours, viewed by many, only to be gone forever within a few short minutes. It was not a futile effort and it reminded me of the transitory nature of life itself. However, although life is transitory, a life lived well is never a life lived in vain.
The life of an alfombra consists of the creation of the alfombra, viewing the finished product and watching others enjoy it, watching the procession pass over and destroy it, and then seeing the cleaning crew come along and shovel away the remains into a dump truck. And in that experience my emotions were many: The joy of creating something that had a specific purpose (at the time we did not know what the end product was going to be or what it would look like, we were only told where to put the different colors); there was also a sense of joy and some pride upon seeing the finished design, mixed with a feeling of awe. And as I watched the procession pass over, it was a bittersweet experience: sadness as the image was brushed away by the shuffling of hundreds of feet over it carrying the image of Jesus carrying his cross; but also a satisfaction that the alfombra had served the purpose for which it was created. It was in a word a sacramental moment. And after all, it that not what life is all about? Making something of our lives and living it in such a way as to fulfill the purpose for which God placed us on this earth, and in so doing experiencing the grace of God.
An alfombra has a short but beautiful life span: born of the devotion and love of many hands, admired by many, everyone knowing that within a few short hours it will have passed from existence. But for the devote Roman Catholics (and some others) the alfombra will serve the purpose of carpeting the path of the representation of the Savior and the Holy Mother.
As I said early on, words just cannot convey the experience: You had to be there. And I'm glad I was!
To view the photos and video clip just click on the Facebook link in menu on the left.
Hasta Luego,
Enjoy a blessed Day of the Resurrection
No comments:
Post a Comment