Semana Santa Part 1

It was a much earlier start to my Sunday morning than usual. And instead of the church being my first stop of the day, I made my way to the entrance of the village of Benque. Awaiting me was the first procession of Semana Santa, including music, hundreds of people, and even a donkey.

In the past, holy week has been merely the final stretch of lent, and a signal to the end. On Palm Sunday we hold our palms and grumble about an overly long Gospel, Good Friday I might go to the shortened service, if I wasn’t too busy of course, and Easter I would eat some chocolate, go to a crowded Easter service, and then head to Grandma’s for the traditional Easter egg hunt. But the small but colorful town of Benque promised to make this Semana Santa one of the most unforgettable experiences of my time in Belize and give the season of lent much more significance then I have previously given to it.

When I arrived at the entrance to the Benque, I was met with a scene fairly typical for Belizean-organized events: a pick-up truck with large speakers, women with their parasols, and the ever-present curious porch-dwellers, who are always there for the show. This Palm Sunday procession was to honor Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem. To make this as accurate a portrayal as possible, the procession included a man portraying Jesus, and 12 men of various ages and sizes as his apostles. The added touch was the small donkey, much too small to support a man of Jesus’ stature, who was to lead the way. Before I knew it (Due mostly to the fact that it did not start 30 minutes late, like most Belizean organized events do), the priest had started the service and blessed the palms (I might add here that just one day prior to this occurrence the rectory yard was covered with palm scraps as people worked diligently for hours separating the palms from each other. It was quite the tedious task). We were then handed the blessed branches and instructed to line ourselves up behind the procession. Under a blazing morning sun, the music began and we held up our palms and followed the Donkey. Down the streets we slowly tread singing along to the music blaring from the truck leading the pack; young and old, parishioners and curious tourists here to experience something truly unique to Belize. We processed up and down the hills of Benque and eventually processed right up the stairs and into the Church.

What followed were the celebration of the Mass in a stuffed church and the promise of an exciting week. Processions almost every night of the week, elaborate floats to be carried, a passion play using Benque as its backdrop, and beautiful carpets made of dyed sawdust to line the streets. All of this to celebrate the promises of Easter fulfilled.

This is going to be an exciting week in Benque.