Easter in Quito – No place for Easter bunny or eggs

Pictures by Essie & M Futkowski. 

Easter and Semana Santa is a good time to be here as it is packed with religious, cultural and art events. Unlike Christmas which I found a tad bit too bland, the Holy week is far more emphasized and the best time to experience an elaborate outward expression of the Christian faith and Catholicism, imbued with elements of Andean culture. Semana Santa, my second in Ecuador, begins on Palm Sunday with the blessing of the palms and ends on Easter Sunday with a solemn mass of the Lord’s Resurrection.

The statue of Black Jesus

Cucuruchos march on

A penitent adorned with barbed wire

Women penitents take part in the
procession

The heavy chains

 The highlight of the week is el Jesus Gran Poder [the Almighty Jesus] Procession on Good Friday. Although a Christian, this was for me a very different and moving experience. The Quito procession is the second largest Good Friday procession in the world, second only to Seville, Spain. Here I saw Ecuadorians physically manifest Christianity. I saw and felt an almost tangible faith on the faces of young and old, men and women who whole-heartedly embrace their faith.

As it does each year, the procession began and ended at the San Francisco Cathedral with thousands of citizens dressed in distinctive purple costumes, some, cucuruchos, wearing conical pointed hats. A band led the procession and several other bands throughout the procession played sombre music, mourning Christ’s passion.  Faithfuls gathered and walked, majority in bare feet. Robed and masked men, women and children carrying religious artifacts [crosses, candles, rosaries, pictures of Jesus, etc.], walked the four mile route.

One of the designated Christs caries a
giant cross - he occasionally needs help.

Among the penitents walked tens of designated “Christs” carrying such huge wooden crosses that they ocassionally needed help from others especially to walk uphill. Some people walked with their children, who seemed all too eager to take up the tradition.  Spectator family members and friends stood by the sidelines, occasionally shouting an encouraging word or passing a chilled bottle of water to the penitents. Smaller groups of women, whose costumes included a veiled face, marched in the procession as well.   

As part of the costume, these legions of faithful penitents carrried thick ropes around their necks, some carried smaller crosses and crucifixes, some wore barbed wire around their torsos, while others dragged heavy chains tied to their ankles. Some walkers carried signs asking [praying] for mercy and I saw a number of people on wheelchairs.

Yes, that's unshaved cactus. Ouch.

Two prominent guests of the day are greeted with cheer and praise. The famous statue of Black Jesus which resides in La Compania [the all gold interior Cathedral] and the statue of the virgin [I have to confirm the name], which were carried in the procession.

Including children in the celebrations
is one way to ensure the tradition
lives on. 

It’s also business time during the procession. Vendors walk up and down the streets shouting; “paraguas, caramellos, dulces, agua potable,…” above the music and loud speaker notices, trying to sell their wares - umbrellas, sweets, sugared corn treats, chips, fruit, bottled beverages and even plastic stools for people who can’t stand for long periods.

Such religiosity may not be everyone’s cup of tea. But for me, this outward expression of deep faith was a very humbling experience, as it totally centred on Jesus Christ as the pure reason for Easter. I also liked seeing uniformed policemen proudly take part in such a religious procession. Guess it’s not a big deal in a country that is 95% Catholic and most people wonder what if anything at all, the Easter bunny has to do with this special and holy week.
 

It’s time for some fenesca, the Ecuadorian Easter soup.

** Fanesca is a special Ecuadorian soup served only during the week leading up to Easter. It is an elaborate, rich soup made with 12 different beans and grains (to represent the 12 disciples). Salt cod (cooked in milk) provides the protein, since this soup is consumed during Lent, when many Latin American Catholics abstain from eating meat. It's usually served with fried plantains, hard boiled eggs and empanadas (floating in the soup or on the side)**.