Cucuruchos in purple - Semana Santa in Antigua, Guatemala

PURPLE – During the first half of Semana Santa hundreds of men in Antigua put on a silky purple tunic and sash with a head dress or hood (some hoods look disturbingly like KKK hats, but they’ve got nothing to do with racism). Why purple? Because it is the liturgical color of Lent and some believe it symbolizes Jesus’ pain and suffering and emulates the color of a robe that covered Jesus. The costume switches to all black on Good Friday afternoon following Jesus’ crucifixion.

CUCURUCHOS – These are the men who carry the andas. Only men carry andas with Jesus on them and these can weigh up to 8,000 pounds and require 100 men. Every carrier gets measured to ensure that each group of 40-100 bearers is of relatively the same height.

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