Semana Santa in Comayagua

 Semana Santa is a BIG deal in Honduras.  This is the celebration of Easter and it lasts a Lonnnnggg time.  The kids are out of school for 2 weeks, everyone is off of work for a few days, families travel to the beach and other places and many people come to Comayagua to see the processions of the "Santa Via Crucis" or Stations of the Cross, and the saw dust carpets.  All week long there are church services, live re-enactments leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus and processions in the streets.  On Thursday night around
midnight, the Bomberos (firemen), clean the streets and different organizations, families, businesses, catholic groups and local families get to work.  They prepare the carpets until 9am in the morning when the Processions of the Santa Crucis trample their hard work- its amazing and very beautiful.  We arrived at the cathedral square around 7:15 and there was already a crowd.  Jose had to work so we wanted to get in early and see the sites.  All natural materials are required for the carpets.  Most are constructed with colored sawdust and some contained salt, rocks, seeds, coffee, cinnamon shavings, tamarind shells, and flowers.  Ladders were placed at many of them so that you could climb up and take photos.   Not sure just how many there were - they went on for blocks and blocks.  We saw the group of people (not sure what they are called) that would carry the crucifix and watched them march in hooded robes and carrying staffs it was a little creepy, and then we saw the beginning of the main procession right before we were leaving.  It was very cool to see - so many people were out and about.  The tradition and the cohesiveness of the Honduran people was awesome.  There was even a carpet that was a work in progress where the kids could pick a frame and then fill it with sawdust with the help of volunteers.

 Midweek we were invited to go to some friend's of ours' family picnic.  In our neighborhood there are oh maybe 50 houses or so.  A few Americans, but for the most part they are Honduran families, and most of them are related in some way or another!  We were very touched to get the invite to the picnic.  The father of many of our friends is the man who owns the whole golf course.  He started this neighborhood from a dream and it has really flourished.  He is the one who wanted to invite us.  It was a great day under a huge tree on another part of the Golf Course that isn't yet developed.  Kids had a ball, and we had a great time too.  The main dish at the picnic was fried fish- the WHOLE thing.  Eyeball included.  It was actually very good - I ate it and then Jose finished it up for me.  I wasn't about to eat the skin, or the tail!

 Later in the week (on Easter Sunday) we hosted an American Easter Egg Hunt here in our neighborhood.  It was the best!  With help from our good friend Uncle Stevie - we had hundreds of eggs and American candy hidden here in an area of the golf course.  The kids were so excited!  We probably had about 35 kids and their parents come afterwards we ordered pizza and the kids played in the streets and ate their candy.  Everyone is already talking about doing it again next year.