My Easter in Nicaragua
Sunday April 8th was Easter Sunday. For me, it was quite interesting to observe what transpired in the city on that day. Really the whole week had been one of relaxation and celebration for the local people, but this Sunday was undoubtedly the pinnacle. The city had a special, festive atmosphere and it was cool to be here to see this.
Morning mass:
I went with my friends Nick and Jessica to mass in the cathedral, the largest in Central America. The place was beautifully decorated with bunting and candles, and a large sculpture of Jesus and Mary stood to one side of the altar. A choir filled the cavernous space with music. After the prayers, the bishop made a sermon to the congregation about the meaning of Easter. Then red-robbed altar boys carried large candlesticks down the aisle and Catholics went to take communion. One of the sweetest parts of the service to me was near the end, when the strangers in the different pews wished each other a Happy Easter with soft touches of the hand and soft voices. There was something pure and kind in that moment that really moved me.
The procession:
Each barrio in León is defined by its iglesia, and our house falls within the district of Iglesia Calvario, one of the most vibrantly painted churches in the city. Each church has its own procession, its own way of celebrating the holy week. The Sunday procession from Calvario started out at 5 PM. The cool thing for Harry and I was that this wasn´t just any parade to us; this was a parade through our neighborhood, right past our street. It felt like home to us.
The streets surrounding the church were packed with people: spectators observing the parade, people waiting in colorfully decorated homes, vendors selling cold water, snacks, and cotton candy, and people marching alongside the float and band. When the float carrying a life-sized statue of Jesus finally lurched forward to start, the band struck up a joyful tune. The float moved slowly through the streets, pausing at each house that was decorated with streamers and balloons. These were the families that were asking something from the Lord this year.
As the float approached our position (we were standing on a high wall that lines one side of our street), it neared a sawdust carpet that had been painstakingly laid on the road before us. This was a 10 foot by 8 foot multi-colored portrait of Jesus in colored sawdust, surrounded by a host of similar religious objects depicted in sawdust. Before the parade got underway, the crowds were careful to avoid disturbing it. But it is customary for the procession to walk through it, thus ruining the picture in an act of destruction I found rather beautiful.
Later that night the procession looped back past our street again. The sky had darkened, and only two glowing statues (for Jesus and Mary) stood out in the night, above the heads of the people.
After the parade had past, Harry and I sat on the front steps for a while with our host family, chatting and joking together. We´ve both come to feel that there is no better place to live in León.
Easter dinner with friends:
After the procession, my friends and I gathered at the Quetzal Trekkers house for an Easter Sunday dinner. Hannah took the role of head chef, cooking up a delicious feast like those she used to eat in England. There was shepherd´s pie (mashed potatoes and beef filling), cabbage, carrots, onions, and a host of other vegetables, warmly baked bread, and real wine. It was very tasty. We had an incredible 16 people around the table to enjoy the good food, laughter, and photos. (It reminded me a lot of our famous October Thanksgiving dinner in Dunedin, NZ.) I think this was actually my first Easter dinner, and I enjoyed sharing it with all my friends: indeed it felt like we were a big family.
And afterward, what better way to celebrate the resurrection of the Lord then with a family poker game!
Morning mass:
I went with my friends Nick and Jessica to mass in the cathedral, the largest in Central America. The place was beautifully decorated with bunting and candles, and a large sculpture of Jesus and Mary stood to one side of the altar. A choir filled the cavernous space with music. After the prayers, the bishop made a sermon to the congregation about the meaning of Easter. Then red-robbed altar boys carried large candlesticks down the aisle and Catholics went to take communion. One of the sweetest parts of the service to me was near the end, when the strangers in the different pews wished each other a Happy Easter with soft touches of the hand and soft voices. There was something pure and kind in that moment that really moved me.
The procession:
Each barrio in León is defined by its iglesia, and our house falls within the district of Iglesia Calvario, one of the most vibrantly painted churches in the city. Each church has its own procession, its own way of celebrating the holy week. The Sunday procession from Calvario started out at 5 PM. The cool thing for Harry and I was that this wasn´t just any parade to us; this was a parade through our neighborhood, right past our street. It felt like home to us.
The streets surrounding the church were packed with people: spectators observing the parade, people waiting in colorfully decorated homes, vendors selling cold water, snacks, and cotton candy, and people marching alongside the float and band. When the float carrying a life-sized statue of Jesus finally lurched forward to start, the band struck up a joyful tune. The float moved slowly through the streets, pausing at each house that was decorated with streamers and balloons. These were the families that were asking something from the Lord this year.
As the float approached our position (we were standing on a high wall that lines one side of our street), it neared a sawdust carpet that had been painstakingly laid on the road before us. This was a 10 foot by 8 foot multi-colored portrait of Jesus in colored sawdust, surrounded by a host of similar religious objects depicted in sawdust. Before the parade got underway, the crowds were careful to avoid disturbing it. But it is customary for the procession to walk through it, thus ruining the picture in an act of destruction I found rather beautiful.
Later that night the procession looped back past our street again. The sky had darkened, and only two glowing statues (for Jesus and Mary) stood out in the night, above the heads of the people.
After the parade had past, Harry and I sat on the front steps for a while with our host family, chatting and joking together. We´ve both come to feel that there is no better place to live in León.
Easter dinner with friends:
After the procession, my friends and I gathered at the Quetzal Trekkers house for an Easter Sunday dinner. Hannah took the role of head chef, cooking up a delicious feast like those she used to eat in England. There was shepherd´s pie (mashed potatoes and beef filling), cabbage, carrots, onions, and a host of other vegetables, warmly baked bread, and real wine. It was very tasty. We had an incredible 16 people around the table to enjoy the good food, laughter, and photos. (It reminded me a lot of our famous October Thanksgiving dinner in Dunedin, NZ.) I think this was actually my first Easter dinner, and I enjoyed sharing it with all my friends: indeed it felt like we were a big family.
And afterward, what better way to celebrate the resurrection of the Lord then with a family poker game!
posted by Hayden @ 1:00 PM
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