Antigua Guatemala Sawdust Carpets

Along with the processional carpets white and yellow plastic decorations mark the route of the town s procession.

Antigua guatemala sawdust carpets.

Antigua guatemala carpets are generally made using molds with allegoric designs religious symbols biblical scenes geometric shapes and floral designs with entire families working together using sawdust pine needles fruit flowers sand and cut paper. Holy week in antigua guatemala begins on palm sunday with a mass in catholic churches. Antigua guatemala dyes its sawdust and then uses it to make some of the coolest carpets you ll ever see. That day la merced church takes a procession out that goes through the streets of the colonial city with sawdust carpets adorning its passage.

What processions to see on holy week in antigua guatemala. Bella guatemala travel antigua is a small city of 35 000 people defined by cobblestoned. See more ideas about sawdust carpet guatemala. Guatemala s semana santa the easter festival in the former colonial capital are beyond comparison to anything in the northern hemisphere along cobblestone streets intricate carpets of colored sawdust are painstakingly laid down.

As elaborate and individual as they are ephemeral alfombras are carpets that adorn the street routes of church processions during the season of lent. Every year during holy week amazing carpets composed of flowers vegetables fruits and dyed sawdust adorn the streets of antigua guatemala a lovely colonial city home to latin america s most famous easter celebration. Thousands of catholics in antigua guatemala join together during lent each year to make colored sawdust carpets in preparation for semana santa or holy week in 2014 they broke the guinness book of world records and made the longest sawdust carpet ever at an astounding 6 600 feet in class the art teacher drew stencils in pencil on colored bulletin board paper and then students. The people of la antigua guatemala and surrounding villages simply love to make processional carpets and the town fair provides the perfect excuse to make sawdust and flower carpets throughout the year.

Later a solemn procession of roman centurions march over the carpets carrying an image of christ on the cross. Apr 2 2018 explore susan savage s board sawdust carpet followed by 161 people on pinterest.