Semana Santa Celebrations

The week leading up to Easter (Semana Santa) is a very special and holy week in Nicaragua and is a week of vacation and celebrations.  The kids are out of school, the churches are having a variety of services, and lots of families travel to the beaches and lakes for several days.  In the evenings, there are a variety of "processions" through the streets celebrating or remembering different aspects of Jesus' life and death.  Over the past couple of nights two have come down our street--the first was the 12 Stations of the Cross and we are not sure what the second was representing.   They are proceeded by loud fireworks, have a live band accompanying them, carry (either by hand or car/truck) a statue of Jesus in different scenarios, and are followed by a large group of people.  Isabel has become fascinated by these processions and asks if she can go to "the Jesus party" and wonders when the next "Jesus party is coming."

12 Stations of the Cross.  A group of men carrying on shoulders.

The group stops at 12 different "stations" and a prayer or other reading is done.  It then picks up and moves to the next station.

Live band accompanying the procession.

Lighting of the fireworks preceeding the procession.

Didn't get a good picture, but this one had the statue of Jesus on a truck.

As the week progressed, we saw several more interesting celebrations of Jesus' life and death.  I don't fully understand them, but thought I'd add the photos.

This was a very large parade that came through.  I think it might represent Jesus being carried to the grave.

This statue and the one below were inside thatched "rooms" made of palm leaves.  There were three rooms representing the different stages leading to and including his death.