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Sunday, April 2, 2017

Festivals and processions leading up to Semana Santa

One of the coolest aspects about Nicaragua are the many festivals and processions that fill the calendar throughout the year. We are approaching Semana Santa (Holy week before Easter) and the air is alive with music, costumes, and food vendors. We are in the pre-party period, a week before the real celebrations begin. Smiles are both plentiful and easy during these periods. You smile because of uniqueness and charm of what you are seeing in the city, they smile back because your smiling at them. No joke, it is that easy, a smile begets a smile. Visual messaging is everywhere, though, understanding the meaning is the challenge. For example, what might look like a hat to you, represents a village for them. The subtleties of color, lacing, plumes, and so on dictate much more to the trained eye than most of us visitors realize. I fully admit to not knowing the many inferences within each of the costumes, and that's okay, I appreciate their beauty just the same.
 

These traditions hold their culture together.

The girls represent their whole community with their colorful outfits.

A happy dancer

Looking back towards the cathedral as the sun is setting.

The crowd watching the performance.

Wonderful architecture reacting to the setting sun's light.

Adorable girls getting ready to perform on stage.

Quite streets

A procession of the Passion.

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