Almost 90% of the Ecuadorian population is Catholic. Many take Holy Week between Palm Sunday and Easter very seriously. We’ve opted to delay our trip to Quilotoa to witness the Good Friday procession, which is the capstone of the week’s activities.*
Day before Palm Sunday: We visit the Metropolitan Cathedral of Guayaquil on Saturday. The church is adorned with preparations for Palm Sunday, with all statues and crucifixes covered in violet veils. Line for confession is at least 2 hours long. (Not that we needed it anyway…)
Palm Sunday: Services throughout the day commemorate Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
Monday: We enjoy fanesca for lunch, a traditional Ecuadorian soup prepared only during Lent. The 12 grains and vegetables in the soup celebrate the harvest (autumn just started here) and symbolize Jesus’ disciples.
Tuesday: Many churches host choirs for special performances. (The calm before the storm.) The faithful observe different moments described in the Gospel, such as: Jesus’ anointment, Jesus’ prediction of his own death, and the arrangement of the betrayal by Judas.
Holy Wednesday: Quito’s Metropolitan Cathedral off of Plaza Grande in the historic center hosts the Dragging of the Capes ceremony. The Archbishop of the city leads a procession of clergy while carrying an impressive black flag adorned with the cross. At the nave before the alter, the brethren lie prostate while the Archbishop waves the banner over their bodies. Some participants, fearing that death comes to those the flag touches, duck away, while others are steadfast, happy to receive the “spirit of the Lord.”
Maundy Thursday: Long day of ceremony is the commemoration of Last Supper, Washing of the Feet, Agony in the Garden, Betrayal, and Outrage. Candlelit procession in Quito’s historical center. Our last supper includes cold ceviche, which marks the last time we eat it. 😝
Good Friday: At noon, in a symbolic nod to the hour of Jesus Christ’s sentencing by Pontius Pilate, several hundred men known as cucuruchos in purple robes and pointed masked headdresses, along with many others dressed like Christ in his Passion carrying a heavy wooden cross, begin a long march in a Procession of the Penitents through Quito’s historic district from the Church of San Francisco. Up to 250,000 onlookers descend upon the area to watch and to pray. In order to identify with passion of Jesus Christ on the day of His suffering, many of the participants will go out of their way to inflict real suffering onto themselves, from self-flagellation to attaching cacti onto their exposed backs.
Easter: Relatively subdued here in Ecuador. (We’ve already told the kids the Easter bunny doesn’t visit this far south.)
*This post is largely derived from a few great websites on the topic listed below, peppered with a few of our own observations.
Perrin Family Adventures 