Easter day in El Salvador is a celebration very different from our country. I am from el Salvador and in my country we call Easter day (semana santa). American children have chocolate in the form of the bunny and egg and the people go to the church.
In El Salvador they do food and they do beautiful altares in the street. The the church’s pastor leads people outside to walk through the streets and as he walks past he throws holy water to the altares and he also prays. Then the people go to the church to see God there and to pray to him. After the mass people go home and they cook pescado calzado because people could not eat other meat during Lent. Instead they only eat fish because they believe that this is symbolic and a type of sacrifice.
It is a tradition from my grandmother that children during holy week couldn’t go up and climb a tree because they would be in greater danger at this time. But only the Salvadoran Catholics believe this. They have faith in the life and death of Jesus and they have certain traditions from one generation to the next. This is how they celebrate and each day for one week the people go to the street and pray. They walk from the church to where there is a big holy Cruz. in the altares they do beautiful art and the one altar that is beautiful they give them a award. Also they do beautiful shapes of palm and they take this palm to the church and the father throw holy water.
https://blog.compassion.com/easter-in-el-salvador/
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/22/us/immigrants-deportation-fears.html?_r=0
In the United States today many Salvadoran people will not travel to el Salvador to celebrate this tradition with their family because they will be scared to go there and never return back here to the united stated but their faith will beat their fear of the deportation.
A recent story was published in the local Catholic newspaper showing how the Catholic Church community is giving support to immigrants.
JesusRa. • Apr 19, 2017 at 2:20 pm
I am glad to hear again about the Holy Week in El Salvador. Back when i was a child, i got to participate in the event. Me and my best friend were responsible for cutting the best and greenly coconut palms for the altar. I really enjoyed being part of this tradition which is very important for Christians for a more close connection with God.
Jr • Mar 7, 2017 at 1:13 pm
This a pretty cool. In my country Peru, they also celebrate holy week closely the same. There’s a lot of food, and art in the streets. A lot of gather to celebrate local saints and other popular saints. When I was younger, and living in Peru my parents took me to some kind of festival where there was bullfighting. Now I know bullfighting is not right, and it should be ban but it is a tradition and not everyone will agree.
Bentley • Mar 6, 2017 at 2:28 pm
when i saw this story it made think about my country. I am from Honduras and we have the same traditions as El Salvador.