Saturday, April 15, 2017

Good Friday 2017 at Lake Atitlan

Bert and I went for a nice walk around town and saw a few alfrombras (carpets) being made on Santander. We both think the town is not as busy as it has been the last two years, but perhaps we're just getting used to the madness. There was a rocking concert last night that went on til about 1 a.m. that we could hear all the way over in Jucanya. Lots of party boats blasting music down at the lakeshore. Lots of new vendors and lots of amazing food! It's a good time!

Scroll down to see my pics from Pana, as well as some pics I stole from Facebook of other Good Friday events. :)

They plowed a road from the Jucanya side all along the river and down to...this. They couldn't have built a bridge? Or put some rocks across? We had to backtrack and hop across the river at another point and then walk down to the fair.
This is the first time the fair is down at the beach. Pretty cool views from that ferriswheel!
There's a wolf hiding under that ride!!
This was the funniest thing! See that kid in the red pants? He was literally spinning the carousel BY HAND.
The newest fashion trend -- pink sun hats!
Elote Loco! (Crazy corn.) This lady is here all the time and she had her crazy corn out on display.
It's corn with ketchup, mayo, green picante sauce, and some dry cheese. Looks good!
I thought it was funny this drink stand was set up in front of the bouncy castles!! Have a margarita whiel your kids play! Why not? 
The BBQ meats smell soooooo good!
Yeah, Santander is a little busy!
Alfombras YAY!! Look at all the fruits and veggies!
Kinda reminds me of a salad bar display on a cruise ship or something. 
Sexy dancing ladies!!! No Semana Santa is complete without sexy dancing ladies. 😄
This was a neat carpet. Jesus is on the left there and some poor chicken got plucked (or killed) to provide feathers for a bird figure in the middle.
It's all made with stencils and coloured sawdust and the white grains are from some plant.
I'll have to find the name of it.
Still finishing up their designs.
Where's Waldo? Making an alfombra in Panajachel!
Quick video of one of the longest carpets we saw.
More videos on my YouTube channel, as always!
Tuk-tuks everywhere!
Here are some pics from other towns in Guatemala. Pretty interesting what goes on. I wish I had the energy to get to some other towns but I'm usually not ready to do anything until too late in the day. Maybe next year!
In Santa Cruz, the Amigos de Santa Cruz Foundation got together to make this traditional carpet. Great work!
Click here to visit their Facebook page.
A beautiful carpet in the town of Solola. Check out the man's intricate shirt in the foreground!
Talk about a salad bar! This is in Antigua. I asked what happens to the food when it's over.
One lady said the church people pick it up. Another said it's donated to needy families.
Not sure what ocean life has to do with Christianity but I love it! This is from Antigua as well.
It's the best place to see amazing alfombras during Semana Santa but it's also incredibly busy and expensive.
So gorgeous! And look at all the people. WOW!
I got this picture from our local news channel's Facebook page. I guess in Santa Clara there is a tradition
of having a fruit fight. It's called Toronjeada. Sounds fun but painful!
"The story goes back in the year 1600, in this time the commune bought 15,500 grapefruits, the performance begins with the signing of an act on the part of participants, to avoid lawsuits or revenge. Form two teams from an average of 20 people, the participants were throwing grapefruits, the meaning is but the repentance of Judas Iscariot, who for some coins sold to Jesus. Judas Iscariot is also plagued by 25 lashes as punishment."

There's still a few more days of celebrations to look forward to! If I can get enough coffee in me, I might head out for a stroll again today and/or tomorrow.
If you are considering a visit to Guatemala, Semana Santa is the time to be here! That is, if you like crowds and parties and awesome religious ceremonies. You have to book way far in advance though. Hotels get filled up really quick.
If you'd rather enjoy Lake Atitlan and Guatemala at a more peaceful time, avoid this week, or maybe even month, altogether! Either way, I hope to see you here soon. 😊

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