Antigua Guatemala Sawdust Carpets

Antigua guatemala dyes its sawdust and then uses it to make some of the coolest carpets you ll ever see.

Antigua guatemala sawdust carpets. As elaborate and individual as they are ephemeral alfombras are carpets that adorn the street routes of church processions during the season of lent. 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. See more ideas about sawdust carpet guatemala. 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.

A religious offering they re made by hand often with sawdust in whatever design. Sawdust carpets during semana santa in antigua kaushik patowary nov 5 2012 1 comments antigua guatemala puts up one of the largest easter celebration in north america with an estimated 200 000 people flocking to this colonial town every year to watch the colourful semana santa celebrations or holy week leading up to easter. Later a solemn procession of roman centurions march over the carpets carrying an image of christ on the cross. Holy week in antigua guatemala begins on palm sunday with a mass in catholic churches.

What processions to see on holy week in antigua guatemala. 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. Apr 2 2018 explore susan savage s board sawdust carpet followed by 161 people on pinterest. 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.

Along with the processional carpets white and yellow plastic decorations mark the route of the town s procession. Really why wait for semana santa holy week.