Semana Santa

Semana Santa in Ecuador is intense.  There are Masses to go to, reenactments to see, and a Resurrection to celebrate!  One warning, though: because the day Jesus opened the Gates of Heaven for us was technically Good Friday rather than Easter Sunday, el Viernes Santo is more “celebrated” than la Pascua.  If you have a chance to go to the procesión on Friday, bring a camera, some tissues, and if you’re religious, a slightly more closed mind than you have the rest of the time, just so your religious heart doesn’t become too sad.  Definitely try to go to the Masses if you can, since they are somewhat different from those in the United States and are all beautiful.  “Que viva el Jesús resucitado.”  “¡Que viva!”

Highlights from this Week:

• Tuesday – Since I got home from our trip early this morning, I pretty much just relaxed and did homework at home today.  In the evening, Cecilia and I went for a walk.  The lights were on in the church and we stopped to see what was going on inside.  I was delighted to see that they were having Reconciliation and, after finishing our walk around the block, Cecilia came into the church with me so I could do that.  I was a little nervous to do it in Spanish, but the priest was so nice and I was able to understand everything he said.  I wasn’t expecting to have an opportunity to go to Reconciliation, so I was very excited to run into such a wonderfully coincidental chance to do that.  Now, I’m definitely ready for Easter!
• Wednesday – As of today, I have been in Ecuador three months.  My, how time does fly…  I went to Cumbayá this morning to run errands and ended up going to Movistar, Juan Valdez Café, Cactus, and SuperMaxi.  My phone wasn’t working (it kept wanting me to send in my número de cédula, but I don’t have a cédula because I’m not Ecuadorian), so the people at Movistar fixed it.  I went to use the WiFi at Juan Valdez, but it didn’t work with my computer.  Lauren met me there and she recommended we try Cactus, so we went to lunch there and that Internet worked fine with my computer (probably because it didn’t require a password).  We stopped in SuperMaxi, so I could buy Easter candy and stuff to cook for my family, and then headed home.
• Thursday – Today is Holy Thursday.  I went with Jesús this morning to the Oratorio and Comedor to help out.  I crumpled paper into little balls for a craft and danced along with all the elderly people when we did exercises.  I helped serve food at lunch and just enjoyed helping however I could.  My family and I went to Mass this evening and I believe this was the first time since I got here that I could understand everyone who spoke.  Usually, the microphone echoes so much in the church, I can hardly understand anything, so I was thrilled to be able to hear the Word of God clearly for the first time this semester!  People brought up offerings at Communion and, after Mass, we processed around the church and arrived at a shrine for the Holy Eucharist.  People threw flower petals in our path as we walked and we stayed for a while for Adoration.
• Friday – Today is Good Friday.  Jesús and I met Cecilia in Quito after her velada to go to the Procession in town.  It started in the Plaza San Francisco as many cucuruchos dressed in purple robes with cone-shaped hats kept coming and coming out of the church to the sound of music that could have been played at a funeral.  Some bore logs on their shoulders and others carried huge wooden crosses.  Behind them came a crowd of women in purple robes with veils covering their faces – las Veronicas.  We walked over to the Gran Plaza, where we could see better – there were so many people acting as Jesus, Simon, and Veronica.  One man dressed as Jesus fell with his cross in the street.  Immediately, a number of people rushed to help him up and the crowd cheered him on.  The procession ended with members of the Ecuadorian military accompanying statues of Jesus and Mary along the route.  Around 3:00 in the afternoon, a thunderstorm broke out…  In the evening, my family and I went to the Good Friday service at church.  We heard the story of the Passion of Christ and all went forward to kiss the feet, knees, and side of Jesus on the Crucifix at the front of the church.  During and after dinner, my family watched the Passion of Christ.  For once, I did not join them.  After all that’s happened today, I’m not sure I could bear watching my God die again…

• Saturday – Even though Jesus has not yet been resurrected, today was much happier than yesterday.  I went to Cumbayá in the morning to look for Internet and, though I didn’t find it until I went to Cactus, I did have a passion fruit smoothie at Juan Valdez that was amazing and a juice called Sunset at Cactus – some delicious concoction of orange, melon, and pineapple.  In the evening, Jesús, Cecilia, and I went to the Easter Vigil Mass.  We stood outside around a fire, lit many candles, and processed into the church.  The first part of the Mass was done from the light of all the candles, which was wonderfully peaceful.  Then, we turned on the lights to baptize three new members of our faith.  A bit later, people brought up offerings and Padre Jorge blessed all of us with Holy Water sprinkled from white flowers.  I felt so much better and more hopeful after the Mass…such a beautiful evening.
• Sunday – Happy Easter!!!  I’m not sure I’ve ever been so happy for this day!  This morning, Jesús, Cecilia, and I went to Mass.  The church was decorated in white with balloons and streamers hanging from the ceiling.  Front and center was a life-size statue of Jesus Resurrected, the centerpiece of the church.  We sang lots of happy songs and welcomed seven new altar servers, whose parents helped them put on their red and white robes.  After Mass, the statue was driven around the neighborhood and the churchgoers followed accompanied by a band playing religious songs.  People threw flowers at the statue the whole time and when we got back to the church, the statue was replaced as the centerpiece of the worship hall.  I also spent the majority of the day half-snickering at my family’s lack of ability to find the candy-filled Easter eggs I hid around our little apartment last night.  I told Jesús and Cecilia of their existence, but they’ve only found two out of ten so far!  I guess finding eggs is a little harder than one would think if you haven’t been doing it every year for your whole life.  Hopefully, they’ll find the other ones relatively soon…  Happy Easter!
• Monday – Happy Easter Monday!  Unlike the other days, today doesn’t seem to get any particularly special recognition here other than as a day off, which was certainly nice for me.  I went to USFQ and saw a few friends who were outside the campus gates.  Then, I went into the school, which was unexpectedly open, and got a ton of work done.  In the evening, I helped Jesús take peas out of their pods, which was oddly fun.

Random Notes:

• If you start getting texts that ask you to send in your número de cédula, going into Movistar (your phone service provider) early to get it fixed won’t help.  You have to go in on the date on the phone (after your phone has stopped working) to get it fixed.  Plan your schedule accordingly.  Since you’re not Ecuadorian, you don’t have a cédula (unless the Ecuadorian government has been particularly quick at getting yours to you – ours haven’t come in, yet, and it’s the middle of the semester), so the people at Movistar will probably just need your name and passport number.
• If you’re looking for free WiFi for your laptop, I would recommend Juan Valdez Café, which is close to the Post Office.  If the password doesn’t work with your computer (which is rare – I’m the only person I know who has a computer that won’t take the password), try Cactus, which is next to the Banco Pichincha.  They have free WiFi that doesn’t require a password (so it works with my computer and will probably work with yours, too).  Apparently, El Español also has free WiFi.
• Catholicism here is intense and that’s especially obvious during Semana Santa.  Also, as I mentioned before, Ecuadorians don’t cry in public and, besides, they’re used to this sort of thing.  Imagine more power, pain, and overwhelming sorrow than a funeral, but no one is crying.  That’s Good Friday here.  To tell the truth, if you are an American Catholic, it’s overwhelming.  I’m glad that I went to the Procession in Quito and to the Good Friday service and I would recommend that you go, too, whether you’re Catholic or not, if only for the cultural experience.  Especially if you are Catholic, though, be prepared for a very emotional experience.
• Good Friday services are somewhat different here than they are in the U.S.  Just like in the United States, you hear the story of the Passion of Christ.  Unlike in the some parts of the United States, though, in the middle of the service, you go up (just like for Communion) to kiss the feet, knees, and side of Jesus on the Crucifix, which is resting on a table at the front of the church.  Usually, you also put a coin into the basket at the base of the Crucifix as an offering.
• The juices at Cactus are amazing, so make sure you try one or several while you’re there!  I particularly recommend Sunset, which is one of the many they serve.
• Try to get a couple of white candles before Holy Saturday if you can.  Unlike in the United States, churches don’t give you candles – you need to bring them, which makes sense.  Especially if you bring enough for your family, I’m quite sure they would appreciate it.
• If you have the chance to be part of an Easter procession, go for it!  My host mother had to go home before ours, but I continued walking with everyone in our community and it was a lovely experience.  Everyone is so happy and having a parade through the whole community announcing the Resurrection of Jesus seems unusual compared to Easter celebrations in the United States.