People here in Antigua, Guatemala, get really crazy during the Holly Week of Easter. Various religious processions circulate simultaneously the streets of this beautiful colonial town. The climax is on Good Friday, when the processions contain thousands of people dressed up as biblical characters presenting the story of Jesus Christ. Roman soldiers march in shining armors and helmets with brooms, red dresses; Heralds shout out announcements of Pilatus, hundreds of people dressed in bright purple carry huuuge altars. The color of purple is present everywhere on the background of houses painted lively red, green, yellow… The parades march through the narrow streets followed by loud rhythmic orchestras of drums and trumpets and ‘cymbaly’… All the characters appear suddenly stepping out of the incenses smoke, making the entire spectacle very special. But in the heart of Antiguas Holly Week celebration are the colorful carpets. The cobble stone roads all over the city are covered by these amazing mosaics of dyed wood dust, sand and flowers. Some of these works of art feature animals made of fruits and vegetables. They all take long hours to create by the local families, and only several minutes to destroy by the merciless processions walking on top. The ephemeral aspect of this art even raises its value.
The impeccable and punctual way of organization of the entire event is truly non-Latin-American. There are strict schedules, timetables, maps, power generators that light up the event after dusk… There must be some Swiss involved.
The nearby active volcano of Pacaya bursting out with the real lava was an interesting spectacle. It’s a nice half a day hike with an easy objective – you keep on walking until your shoe soles melt. No kidding. It is a special feeling to be one meter away from a super hot, red and lively stream of lava. Especially after the sun sets and you suddenly realize that there is another stream of lava just 30cm under a cracked layer of crust you are standing on.
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Naprawde piekne zdjecia!!!!!