No Easter in Guatemala This Year

Because of this stupid coronavirus, Easter celebrations in Guatemala have been cancelled. This is sad for two reasons. Number one, Easter is a big deal for the many religious people here. Number two, Easter is a huge tourist attraction and therefore brings in a lot of money for tourist-based businesses.

Not being allowed to have Easter events, gatherings, parades or even church services actually presents a difficult moral decision for many people. Think about it: would you rather disobey your government or your God? I know that I have seen some people on TV in other countries who are still attending large church services and proclaiming that God will protect them from the virus. Yeah, sorry, but that's not gonna work, guys. 😳

Panajachel's religious leaders have come up with a clever way to deal with the cancellation of Easter. All over town, there are purple bows and signs with different inspirational messages and Bible quotes. I snapped a pic of this one on my way home from the grocery store.

Messages on poles in Panajachel about Easter.

The sign above says, "Love to our brothers is to recognize that we have more things that unite us than those that will separate us."

Below that in small print, it says, "Holy Week lives and is celebrated in the hearts of all Panajachel."
I really like that!

As for me, I'm not religious but I will certainly miss the fancy processions and beautiful alfombras (carpets). Here is a picture from a few years ago to show you how awesome they are.

Besides prohibiting all Semana Santa celebrations and gatherings, the most recent COVID-19 restriction is that the President has decreed that during Easter Week, no one can travel between departments (provinces or states). All tourist sites and all beaches are closed.

Here in Panajachel, no one who does not live here can enter the town. All roads into the town are guarded by police who check documents to verify where you live. Of course, emergency vehicles can pass and also trucks delivering food or medicine. 

The other big thing is that all sales of alcohol have been prohibited for 9 days. The ban is said to expire after Easter Monday. Can you imagine the party that's going to happen on that day? 😆

In good news, the Office of Migration here has said that there will be no late fees or fines for any tourist with a valid tourist entry stamp if it expires while the State of Emergency is in effect. This is a relief for me as my stamp is expiring on April 17th. It also means that once the State of Emergency is lifted, which could be many months from now, there will be a tonne of expats who need to do visa runs! I've already talked to a bunch of my friends here who agree that it would be fun to all go together to Mexico for a weekend!

So that's life for me in Guatemala right now. Pretty normal actually. So far the restrictions are just minor irritations. And I'm SUPER grateful that I am not sick, and neither are my family and friends.

Stay healthy, folks. Wash your hands, don't touch your face, and keep your spirits up!