Holy Week and Easter in Guatemala: Religion and Culture

Semana Santa (Holy Week) in Guatemala, is the week leading up to Easter Sunday, commemorating the passion, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The week is considered a national holiday and is more universally celebrated than any other in Guatemala – among both believers and non-believers. 

With 87% of Guatemalans identifying as Christian, Holy Week in Guatemala is filled with special activities that remind us of Jesus’ death and resurrection. As we remember the lowest points of sin and the highest peaks of what God has done for us, our faith is renewed in the fact that we have a way to God, the Father, through the Son, Jesus. 

That’s worth celebrating, and Guatemalans do! From Biblically-themed processions to Maya-inspired street carpets, Holy Week shines a light on the diversity of Guatemalan culture. It also spotlights the opportunities that abound to show the love of Christ through your support of the Hope Renewed International (HRI) mission. 

Holy Week traditions

For more than 400 years, nearly every church in every Guatemalan city, town or village organized its own Holy Week procession, a kind of parade of faith, with the most elaborate held in Antigua. Yet even in small towns, religious processions are an important part of Holy Week festivities

Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala - April 19, 2019: Sawdust carpet in front of Good Friday procession in Lake Atitlan.

From Good Friday through Easter Sunday, Guatemala City streets swell with crowds watching solemnly as cucuruchos (bearers) clad in purple and black (the colors of royalty and mourning) carry heavy wooden andas (floats) along designated routes that typically end at a church. The smell of incense and the sounds of trumpets and drums announce the beginning of each procession. As the parade progresses, musicians play funeral marches appropriate to the sorrow of Christ’s suffering before His death.

Each float includes Biblical figures that represent the events leading up to the crucifixion and include Jesus carrying the cross and Mary mourning over the empty tomb. Some floats are so massive that it takes 80 to 100 grown men to carry them through the streets. But there’s no shortage of volunteers. Being a float bearer is an honor and Guatemalans sign up a year in advance to participate.

Holy Week processions in Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala, as in most small towns, tend to be less formal and reflect more Mayan influence. A particularly festive day for locals is Good Thursday, when mothers, dressed in brightly colored traditional Tz’utujil garments, and their children, clad in purple robes, parade through town early in the morning.

Semana Santa and Maya culture

For weeks leading up to Holy Week, families and neighbors gather in the streets to create beautiful artwork known as alfombras. These street carpets feature bold colors and designs that reflect Mayan tradition, Biblical symbolism and scenes from nature. Hand-crafted from colored sawdust, pine needles, flower petals, fruits and other natural materials, these intricate carpets take hours to craft but last for only a short time. The purpose of the alfombras is to provide a path for people leading to the church, so they are destroyed by the processions and onlookers walking on them.

Antigua, Guatemala - March 18, 2018: Locals make temporary dyed sawdust Lent procession carpet in UNESCO World Heritage Site with famed Holy Week celebrations.

Some say the carpet-making tradition is sacrificial; one way that the Guatemalan people give of themselves as an offering to God in remembrance and gratitude for the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. 

Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday

On the Sunday before Easter, Guatemalans walk to and from church with small branches from the African palm, filling the air with its sweet scent. Palm leaves also may be collected and made into bouquets, adorned with flowers, and blessed by their priest. Many Guatemalans also hang decorations of purple, red, lilac, and yellow in their doorways and windows to signify the suffering and royalty of Jesus.

Good Friday is considered a day of mourning, and by mid-afternoon buildings and trees throughout Guatemala are draped in black crepe, signifying Jesus’ crucifixion and death. The people may dress in black, walking through the streets with lanterns and burning incense. Some carry small crucifixes or banners inscribed with Jesus’ last words. Float bearers carry a sculpture of Jesus on the cross along the procession route and others dressed as Roman soldiers follow. Late into the night, the procession finally stops at the church, where the crucified Jesus is put to rest. 

Holy Saturday processions are dedicated to the Virgin Mary and the empty tomb. These floats are often smaller and carried by women in their finest clothes. Young children may walk along or under the floats as part of the procession.   

Easter (Resurrection Sunday) celebrations

Easter celebrations in Guatemala vary from denomination to denomination. In Catholic churches, Easter Sunday is a happy celebration centered around family and punctuated by fireworks that can be seen and heard for miles around. In the more low-key Protestant churches, Easter may be observed with an early church service, followed by breakfast. Either way, for Guatemalan Christians, Resurrection Sunday is a day of hope and joy, acknowledging that Jesus conquered death and saved us from our sins. 

Guatemala Holy Week during a pandemic

In 2020, Holy Week fell during the peak of the coronavirus outbreak, so many religious and cultural traditions were postponed or cancelled. This year, Holy Week in Guatemala begins on Palm Sunday, March 28 and ends Resurrection Sunday, April 4. Although many businesses have reopened and travel restrictions have been relaxed, Holy Week in Guatemala promises to look much different in 2021. 

The coronavirus pandemic has escalated the problems of impoverished Guatemalans, the people HRI works to serve, equip and empower. Never before has the need been so great to show the love of Christ, particularly in practical ways. HRI needs your help to provide school supplies, sewing materials (for clothes), farming supplies (to grow food) and more urgent needs.  

Please pray for Guatemala during Holy Week and Easter and give generously. Your donation can be earmarked in memory of a loved one or simply to share the love for Jesus.