In my opinion, Guatemala is THE place to go to see
the best EASTER week processions and celebration
of the holiday.
The country has an interesting and unique combination
of Catholicism with some of the old indiginous culture
mixed in.
As a result many of the indiginous people are
Catholic and participate in the celebrations.

Above, is a detailed picture of what is refered to as a "carpet"
or alfombra. They are typically made out of colored
sawdust but many other materials are used.



Many people were selling souvenirs
related to Palm Sunday.



The "Penitents" wear purple during
Lent and Holy Week up until late on the
afternoon of Good Friday.
Many people participate in carrying the
large floats. I don't know what else to call
them but they remind me of something
out of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.



Here's a photo of more vendors selling everything
from palm souvenirs to balloons to other kinds of
toys. Many kinds of food are available too.
Unfortunately, Guatemala is not a country where
it is saffe to eat street food.



Here's an idea of what the procession is like.
The carpet is made ahead of time. This one is
made using mostly pine needles. Then some
sawdust is used along with some pieces of
palm (the natural color).
Only the main floats that come along the
procession route walk over the carpets. The
other participants walk around the carpets.

The floats carry models that tell the story of
Easter. Generally, you can identify what is
happening. Sometimes it is quite graphic!