Good Friday: Faith

Holy Week in Guatemala: Flavors and Aromas

As you have appreciated along this week, between spiritual issues and earthy manifestations, Guatemalans spare no effort in their task to commemorate the Holy Week.

Traditions and folklore are in the air and families and friends gather together to celebrate, to participate, to watch, to share, to cook, to eat.

The gastronomical culture during this time of the year, just as the colorful carpets we enjoyed yesterday, is related to two different sources:

1. From pre-Hispanic traditions, where the seasons were divided by periods of fasting and penitences related with the rainy, dry, scarcity, and abundance cycles.

2. The fasting as was practiced by the first Christians in Century III to be clean and ready for the Resurrection Day, today Easter Sunday.

As time went by, the fasting rule was relaxed by the Catholic church, and as of today, the only forbidden food is red meat.

Every celebration around the world is somehow related with food and the Holy Week in Guatemala is not an exception. The food during this time, however, is more of a colonial heritage.

I cannot share with you all the aromas that come to me right now, but I can certainly share with you some recipes of the food my mother used to cook for the season. If you decide to try them, then you are going to smell some of the aromas and savior some of the flavors of a Guatemalan Holy Week.

Biscayne-style Cod (Bacalao a la Vizcaina)

Put 2 pounds of cod to soak for 24 or 36 hours (covered and in the fridge), changing the water every 8 hours. Once this time has elapsed, remove the scales and bones and clean well with a cloth. Cut the cod into chunks.

For the sauce, in a casserole with 1 cup of water, bring to a quick boil 4-6 Roma tomatoes and 4 red bell peppers, just enough time to soften and peel them. Remove the seeds and stems from the peppers. Do not discard the water, it will be used in the sauce.

In a pan with 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil, cook until lightly brown, 1 cup of diced red onions and 4-6 cloves of garlic.

Blend together the tomatoes, peppers, onions and garlic with the reserved water, until everything is smooth. If necessary, add some bread or bread crumbs to thicken the sauce.

Put the sauce into a casserole, add 2 tablespoons of capers, 4 tablespoons of olives, 1 bay leaf, and 1 teaspoon of dried thyme. Simmer for about 15 minutes, add the cod chunks, and continue simmering for another 5 minutes.

Optional: Some people like to add thick slices or big chunks of potatoes.

To serve, garnish with fresh chopped parsley.

Guatemalan-style dried-cod-like Fish

This is the economic variation for the Biscayne-style Cod, and consists in replacing the cod with a local variety of salty sun-dried fish.

This local fish is softer than the cod, so it is not cut in chunks but in individual portion-size fillets, then battered and deep fried before going into the sauce.

Torrejas (the local variation for the Madrid Torrijas)

8 "molletes" (heavy sweet egg-based bread), battered and lightly fried. Set aside over paper towels to drain the grease, while making the sugar syrup.

For the sugar syrup, in a deep pot bring to a boil 1 quart of water with 2 cups of sugar, 1 large cinnamon stick, and 1 cup of sweet wine (cherry, vermouth, muscatel, or similar), add the bread and let it simmer at a very low temperature for about 20-30 minutes. The bread will remain in one piece while absorbing the liquid. This desert can be served warm or at room temperature.

Molletes (the luxurious variation for the Guatemalan Torrejas)

The only difference in this version is that the molletes emptied (very carefully to keep them intact in the outside) and filled with Manjar Blanco (blancmange) and raisins previously soaked in liquor.

Manjar Blanco (the easiest version)

In a medium pot bring to a boil 1 quart of milk, 1 cup of sugar, 1 pinch of salt, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 large lime peel (without the white biter part). When start to boil, reduce the heat, remove the cinnamon stick and the lime peel, and add 3 tablespoons of corn starch previously dissolved in 1/2 cup of water or milk, stirring constantly until thickens. 

Other specialties and delicacies during this season are sweet empanadas filled with a different version of manjar blanco, salty empanadas filled with salmon, sweet chickpeas in a light homemade syrup, battered pacayas (palm fruits/flowers), curtido (pickled vegetables salad, the same we use in Guatemalan enchiladas), and from my mother's homeland, Jutiapa, women's bread, for which by the way, there is a tradition to bake large batches to exchange with friends and neighbors.

Holy Week in Guatemala in Living Color

These long, extraordinary colorful carpets so traditional in the Guatemalan popular culture, are deeply rooted from times no one can remember. They are probably the most notorious example to describe the magic religious and cultural syncretism prevalent throughout the country in our days.

The origin of these ephemeral works of art is related to two different sources: 

Carpets in San Lucas Toliman, Solola and San Cristobal, Sacatepequez

1. The Meso America ancient civilizations used to make carpets for ceremonial purposes with pine needles, flowers, seeds, and feathers of birds considered precious, like quetzales, scarlet macaws, and hummingbirds.

Carpets in San Pedro La Laguna and Santiago Atitlan, Solola

2. The Spanish influence, specifically from the Canary Islands, homeland of Pedro de Betancur who was part of the Franciscan Order, the main evangelists during the colonial times.

Carpet made with coffee beans in different stages

That mixed origin combined with the Guatemalan historical development, around the Centuries XVII and XVIII brought to life a new tendency, full of symbolism and different elements. That is why the Guatemalan carpets, made mostly of dyed sawdust, flowers, seeds, fruits, and bread, have become the symbol par excellence to define the Guatemalan syncretism. 

Carpet made with pine needles and fresh mangoes

The carpets are made by residents, friends, and families along processional routes. They are offered up as a sacrifice in anticipation of the procession that will destroy them by marching through the painstaking and fantastic creations. 

Carpet made with a combination of flowers, fresh fruits, and bread

Size and complexity depends largely on the size of your workforce and the amount of money raised to buy materials. Also carpets made by children are usually smaller and not as elaborate - but just as beautiful! 

Carpet made with dyed sawdust, and border details with corozo  and purple estaticia flowers

I cannot tell you how many cities, towns, and villages participate in this ritual but I know it is quite widespread all over Guatemala.

Carpet and procession in Villa Nueva, Guatemala

When one procession has gone by, a clean-up crew follows removing the remains. Almost immediately, residents may begin to build yet another carpet in anticipation of the next procession later that day or the next. 

Holy Week in Guatemala: Cucuruchos

Historically, a Cucurucho, also known as Capirote (without translation into English), is a pointy hat of conical form.

Photos in this page by galasdeguatemala.com, posted with the authorization.

In the popular culture in Guatemala, however, Cucurucho has become the name for the male penitents that carry over their shoulders the processional floats, regardless whether they wear or not  such pointy hats.

The origin of its incorporation to the Holy Week tradition in several countries of Latin America is uncertain; however, I have read from several sources that it is in representation of the clothes worn by the medieval pilgrims who started visiting the so called Saint Places  or Holy Land in the XI Century, particularly during the Crusades, following the route where Jesus lived and preached. Officially, the pilgrim costume was instituted by the Franciscan Order in the XII Century.

 
There are records indicating that in Guatemala, the Cucurucho costume was introduced in the Convents around 1550, when the processions were held only within their walls, following the strict rules about colors and symbols according to the Council of Trent.

The first news about a procession held outside a convent in Guatemala are from 1596 and published by the Santiago City Council Chronic (in Spanish, Cronica del Ayuntamiento de Santiago).

The story relates the procession of Jesus of Candelaria, mentioning the route, the float carried on the penitents' shoulders, all of them wearing Cucuruchos, a purple tunic and a short cape-like over the shoulders, followed by a music band.
 
The Cucurucho costume as can be appreciated today in Guatemala continues to be quite similar to the costume used in the colonial times. 

During the whole Lent until the Holy Wednesday, this Cucurucho costume is entirely of purple color.

On Maundy Thursday (also known as Holy Thursday) the short cape on the shoulders is white to commemorate the Last Supper and the institution of the Communion.

For the Good Friday processions the Cucuruchos suits are black, as a symbol of mourning.

In the Catholic history of Guatemala, the use of the white short cape, mainly for the Jesus of Candelaria Cofradia / Brotherhood, is very important because it was a special privilege granted by the Pope Benedict XIV in 1597.

Palm Sunday: The Beginning of The Holly Week

I am going to make a stop in our journey through Guatemala because we are at the beginning of the Holy Week and, just as I have mentioned before, Guatemala is notorious around the world for the celebration of this time of the year.

Whether it is celebrated according to the most traditional catholic rituals or within the magic syncretism that characterize the indigenous communities, the Holy Week throughout Guatemala is much more than a worthy experience.

If the symbols used along the Lent season, as we appreciate in Guatemala, are right or wrong, that is something  that won't be analyzed in this space.
What I intend to share with you, is all the paraphernalia and the meaning of every ritual, from blessed palm bunches, to "cucuruchos", colorful flowers and sawdust carpets, processions, and even food the Holy Week involves, which culturally speaking, is the voice of the people.

The Palm Sunday is the recreation of the day when Jesus entered into Jerusalem and in Guatemala, it is a colorful celebration where the making of the palm arrangements follows certain specific steps:

The palm leaves (palma real or manaca -Orbygnia cohune) are collected in Escuintla, Suchitepequez, and Quetzaltenango and delivered to the vendors, generally women from San Juan Sacatepequez.
These industrious women make the arrangements bunches-like adding some purple estaticias (Limonium sp.), red carnations, corozo (Corozo oleifera) flowers, and some other elements like the wheat spikelets carried by the beautiful girl in the photo above and to the left.

During the night of the previous Saturday or very early that Sunday, these women arrive to the churches with their precious cargo and before they start selling the bunches, these are blessed by a priest.

The blessed bunches are kept in the houses for almost a whole year, until the next Ash Wednesday, when they are returned to the churches to be incinerated and used to draw a cross on the parishioners' forehead, a ritual that marks the beginning of a new Lent period.
Since processions are one of the most important popular expressions during the Holy Week, the Palm Sunday is not an exception. As we can appreciate in the photo above and to the left, it is a representation of the entrance of Jesus to Jerusalem, and as in every procession, beautiful sawdust and flower carpets are made along the route for the procession to pass over.
All of the photos in this page are posted with the authorization of  galasdeguatemala.com.

Easter Season in Guatemala City

Photo by galasdeguatemala.com, used with authorization.

In the Christian tradition, today is the first Friday of the Easter Season, which began two days ago on Ash Wednesday.

The catholic expressions of faith during the Easter Season in Guatemala City are not as famous as those we can see in Antigua Guatemala; however, let me  tell you that these are as beautiful and splendid as those are.

Photo by galasdeguatemala.com, used with authorization. 

For what I have seen, the Easter Season is carefully observed throughout the country; actually, there are towns where the rituals are conducted in ways that could give all of us a better understanding  of the local culture and the syncretism that has occurred between the ancient Maya beliefs, traditions, and folklore, with the Catholicism as has been practiced since the Spanish colonial times.

Photo by galasdeguatemala.com, used with authorization. 

Note: the tree in the background is a fragrant matilisguate.

Anyway, since we are almost done with the journey through Guatemala City, my objective today is not to lecture you about catholic religion, but to give you a glimpse of the way the Holy Week is celebrated in the city with processions, flowers' rugs, music, and even food.

Photo by galasdeguatemala.com, used with authorization. 

To tell you the truth, my personal memories of the Easter Season are probably more earthly than religious because every detail I remember is always associated with joy, with colorful and fragrant flowers, such as the jacarandas, matilisguates, and corozo (flower from a palm tree that are profusely used during the whole season), and with food. I know, every celebration in Guatemala is associated with a special dish and I have to tell you, as most of the Guatemalan families, mine was part of the rule, never the exception. One of my favorite dishes was, and still is this desert called torrejas, one of my mother's Holy Week specialties.

Photo by galasdeguatemala.com, used with authorization. 

Last but not least, the music also plays an important role in the Easter celebrations. I found this video in Youtube and as far as I can understand, it belongs to the Website Jesusenguatemala.com. I sincerely hope they won't mind sharing it with all of us. The music is not the usual band but a delicate arrangement played by a marimba.