Happy Easter

Well there are no bunnies running around Guatemala looking to hide easter eggs. Quite the contrary, here rabbits are raised to be slaughtered and eaten. That’s a whole different story that I won’t get into right now.
Well the whole American tradition of coloring eggs, hiding them and enjoying the park on a Sunday afternoon is far from Guatemala. In Guatemala, Sunday is the least important day of Holy week. I have yet to understand why from my Guatemalan friends. In spite of this, I must say Guatemalans take this holiday pretty seriously; the whole country takes the week off from work. Semana Santa or holy week is a time to travel to the beach and soak up the sun. I happen to go to Antigua which is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the country. Antigua is usually packed, but this time of year people came in by the droves from all over the world. The catholic churches have elaborate processions depicting the account of Jesus from the time he entered Jerusalem on a donkey to his resurrection. It is quite interesting. Then there are also people creating carpets that run up and down the streets. Now these carpets are made of saw dust using stencils for different colors and designs. There are some pictures below, so you get an idea of what I’m talking about.
I honestly felt a little lost during Easter here. I went to church on Sunday ready for the celebration sermon of Jesus rising from the dead. Instead I hear a traditional sermon, which is fine, but not what I expected. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I missed Easter in the states. I miss the way we celebrate it, the joy of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and all that is signifies. I missed leaving church on a Sunday morning and seeing families all dressed up in pastel colors. I missed going to the park and hiding Easter eggs with my nieces. I missed chocolate covered bunnies and the joy of coloring easter eggs. So if any of you have it in your heart to send me some discounted easter candy, I’m all for it, stale or not. Chocolate preferred.