We are in the midst of the most important and elaborate celebration of the year in Peru - Semana Santa - Holy Week. Monday after Noah's nap, we set out toward the Plaza de Armas, having heard about a procession there around 5:00. As it turns out, it was starting from Santa Marta in the Plaza España near our apartment. This was an especially important event, as there were guards, a lineup of all the armed forces and even a military band, all looking very imposing, waiting for the Mass to finish inside the church so they could lead the entourage. We talked with one of the guards, then continued on to the Plaza de Armas to wait. They were quite a while in arriving, so we did what most of the toddlers in the Plaza do - feed the birds! Like in San Marco's in Venice, there is someone selling birdseed, and the pigeons swarm like locusts. Noah got a real kick out of it all, and we enjoyed a beautiful Arequipa sunset. After a while, we needed to get home and met the procession on the way. It was pretty amazing, though very somber. There were three parts - John leading the way, then the crucified Christ, with mary following behind. All of this was accompanied by a few bands playing woeful dirges and a couple hundred mourners with candles. This form of commemoration and worship is not something we are very familiar with, to be honest, so we were glad to see and learn.
Our Semana Santa education continued yesterday as the Spanish Institute held a special session. All classes were scrapped and we spent the morning talking about the verious traditions for this week, in Peru in general and specifically in Arequipa. We learned (by doing) how to cook "Chupe de Viernes", the soup traditionally eaten on Good Friday, and a few of the dulces - desserts - eaten on Thursday. The chupe is vegetarian (with fish), because no meat is to be eaten that day. On Easter Sunday, the typical dish is Caldo Blanco and is full of all kinds of meat. We discussed the significance of each day and each procession, as well as the Stations of the Cross. Many of these traditions are Catholic, which neither we nor the institute are, but they are important to understand and appreciate, partly because they are truly part of the general Peruvian culture. But much more, they are a genuine means to worship, to seeing and meditating on Christ and his death and resurrection for so many of our brothers and sisters. It was a rich morning and we are thankful for all that we are learning. Here are a few pictures of our adventures.
Cooking Chupe de Viernes with the Institute family
And here's a little video we took, to give a better idea of the scene.
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