photo © Lorraine Caputo, Some participants in the Good Friday processions dress as Jesus and are accompanied by friends who act as centurions and may flagellate the penitent. Nativity scenes aren’t just relegated to churches. Still, one can readily find The tamunangue not only honors San Antonio on his feast day, but it is also performed to fulfill a promise (promesa) to him for granting a good harvest, a family request (for wishes of healing, a new home, studies, etc.) But in the holiness of this space, I feel uncomfortable to ask probing questions about their faith to a saint the Catholic Church (let alone any other) would adopt as its own. The solstices and equinoxes are important times of the year, especially for peoples with earth-based religions. And the rest is history. The evening of June 12 is the velorio (vigil) to San Antonio, a serenade on the eve of his saint’s day. I spent the day in Loja, awaiting a night bus to Quito. Rica colada morada!”. Christmas-season dinners differ from country to country. These traditions reflect the distinctive mixtures of Native American, African, and European influences that have shifted throughout Quiteños have a very traditional and spiritually powerful procession on this day. It includes orange leaf, lemon verbena, lemon grass, amaranth flower and myrtle. photo © Lorraine Caputo, Ataco, or amaranth flower. photo © Lorraine Caputo. The Latin American custom is for the family to attend mass together (however, the Misa de Gallos, or Midnight Mass is quite rare these days), and then break fast with a huge family meal. La Fiesta de Quinceañera – also known as a Quince Años, XV, Quinces, or La Fiesta Rosa – is a time-honored Latin American tradition which celebrates the transition from childhood to womanhood. The shrine in Pisagua (Chile) is near the fishermen’s wharf. (One of his most famous cases was the stoning of Saint Stephen.) "actos" (politically charged skits) during the United Farm Other countries have their santos populares. One year in Buenos Aires, I could sense those spirits and I thought about relatives who had immigrated to that port city almost a century earlier. curanderos Just catch the green Línea 2 city bus at Plaza 25 de Mayo. Hotel rooms will be exceptionally scarce in popular vacation destinations and in the towns with the most famous celebrations, like Antigua, Mompox, Popayán and Ayacucho. Like Northern Europe’s Winter Solstice or Yule celebrations, it is a beseeching to the Sun that he return, bringing life back to Earth. And, of course, in the novena leading up to Christmas Day, the pre-dawn prayers and song of the faithful softly echo down the cobblestone lanes. There are three main tales about the life and deeds of Antonio Mamerto Gil Núñez, who came to be known as Gauchito Gil. 24 June 2015 7 colourful festivals of Latin America. A line of people slowly passes to the front, Fathers with their young sons and daughters, In many Catholic homes, families also present a manger scene. It is the time of the release of potentials: in politics, and in family, personal and community relationships. “Of course,” she says as she wipes the container before putting the lid on. As we approach the roadside shrine, red flags dance on the day’s light breeze. He was contemporary of Saint Francis of Assisi (San Francisco de Asís), founder of the Franciscan order. photo © Lorraine Caputo. “Guaguas de pan, guaguas de pan. On San Antonio’s feast day, the biggest celebration is in Barrio La Unión. This is to ask the Saint for permission to present the dances promised to him. Protestantism has gained many followers in recent decades. Each devotee shall kiss him, before he is tenderly placed in the straw-filled cradle in the center of the pesebre. Rompope, a drink very much like eggnog, will be spiked with rum; this typical drink is called cola de mono in Chile. © Lorraine Caputo. Although most Latinos adhere to the Catholic church, evangelical Mexico serves up romeritos, a type of seaweed (Suaeda torreyana), often prepared with mole. variation, with patron saints, special days of observance, and Rituals That night, we returned to Los Crepúsculos. photo © Lorraine Caputo. Examples of this are the celebration of the Virgin of Candelaria. At these seasons, they gather across the globe to welcome a new year, or prepare for the sowing or the harvest season. Other passengers hop off for a few minutes to make a quick request to the Gauchito. The herbs are sold in a bundle called guanguito. In Ushuaia, the longest night is celebrated in June. In Spanish, posada means “inn,” and in Mexico, people hold candles and sing songs as they reenact Mary and Joseph’s search for shelter in Bethlehem. As an act of survival and, perhaps, resistance, native communities in Latin America appropriated these rituals and maintained elements from their own tradition despite colonization. Most Latinos pray every day, most have a religious object in their home and most attend a religious service at least once a month. Now is when spiritual and political leaders are celebrated and the baton of power is passed on. In Mexico, are the posadas, nine days of processions through neighborhoods, topped off with tamales and hot atole drink. Dozens of artists, like Nélida Zenón and Julián Zini, pay tribute to this saint. For the past few weeks, Catholic churches and public spaces throughout Latin America have displayed crèches, These Nativity scenes – called belén (Bethlehem), nacimiento or pesebre in Spanish – display Mary (María), Joseph (José) and the three Kings (Tres Magos or Tres Reyes Magos) along with shepherds and angels. From before Christmas through the Feast of Epiphany, city traffic will be stopped for the Pase del Niño. Some omit the mortiño. The procession then wends through the streets, with dancing and drumming until dusk. The chapels’ walls are covered with photos, plaques and gifts thanking Gauchito Gil for his intercession on matters of health, justice and journeys. photo © Lorraine Caputo, The Virgen Dolorosa’s black dress is embroidered with gold thread. Three for one dollar!”, And from many cafés, many restaurants, the offering rings out. upon the steps, A few kiosks are yet To set the tone, let’s listen to the Oscar award-winning song, “Remember Me,” from the movie Coco (if you haven’t seen this movie about Mexico’s Day of the Dead yet, I encourage you to do so!). On his saint’s day, small loaves of bread are passed out after the mass. North of Fairbanks, the Dalton Highway was unpaved. into a uniform tone, Near midnight It is the eve of the feast day of San Antonio – Saint Anthony of Padua. San Antonio. Semana Santa – Holy Week – is one of the most important holidays in Latin America, both religiously and secularly. Semana Santa celebrates the last days of Christ's life, the Crucifixion and Resurrection, as well as the end of Lent.The Holy Week is observed in many different countries with a range of celebrations, from the solemnly religious to the more commercial and secular. photo © Lorraine Caputo, All day the heat, the humidity Catholicismis the main religion in Latin America. Because many families head to the beach or other popular national destinations during the holiday, hotel and food prices in those places triple or even quadruple. Do you hear the herald angels singing, Iglesia San Sebastián, located on the eastern flank of the Panecillo, reflects the barrio’s indigenous heritage: José and María are from the Shuar nation. Most of the region is located in the tropics, and it is summer south of the equator. As it approached, the car would be outfitted with supplies and a group would pile in to make the 400-kilometer (250-mile) trek up to the Arctic Circle. Latinos in the United States also display this With a large wooden spoon, doña Rosalía lifts each herb out of the simmering tisane, to teach me the names: ishpingo and pimienta dulce. WHEN THE VEILS PART : Honoring Our Dead – Part I. Cuba, the largest island in the Caribbean, is a mixture of old traditions and superstitions that mirror its society and often the superstitions of Western Europe. Prices for the main ingredients – fruits of every color of the rainbow, bunches of herbs – have crept upward, whether they are sold on the street, in the local market or the mega supermarkets. Rituals include baths, purification and healing ceremonies, as well as thanks giving to the powers of the Cosmos. Schoolchildren dress as José, María, the three Wise Men, shepherds (pastores) and angels to accompany the baby Christ. Dating from pre-Conquest times, this heavy “soup” contains 12 grains and beans, which in the Catholic iconography represents the 12 apostles, and dried cod (bacalao), representing Jesus. MEXICO CITY, May 6 2005 (IPS) - Indigenous communities throughout Latin America are facing the loss of their cultural traditions, divisive conflicts, and in some cases even bloodshed, all in the name of God. While these languages were once confined to Europe, they later spread to the Americas during the European colonization of the region. Each have a sprig of cinnamon and a few cloves floating amongst the hunks of fruit. Puerto Ricans do not generally differentiate between official Catholicism and their rituals and beliefs and give little credit to African and Latin American influence on their religion. I have witnessed and celebrated many of these traditions. If you are traveling at any of these seasons, your best chance of seeing (and perhaps joining in) on the festivities are in areas with a strong indigenous sense of pride, especially in Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. This is a holiness that blossoms from the roots of the earth – and is common throughout Latin America. For example, if you see a black cat, it means mischief. To be Spanish or Portuguese around the beginning of the sixteenth century meant being impregnated with … photo © Lorraine Caputo, Some penitents strap cactus to their backs. The most sincere ones are in smaller towns or villages. drifting skywards No longer did the kings function as the official heads of the church and its mission. By significant majorities, Latinos who identify with a religion believe that miracles are performed today just as they were in ancient times. The festival includes offerings with Incan and Christian compositions, ... 10 beaches to visit in Latin America . Colada morada – a rich infusion of fruits, herbs and spices – and guaguas de pan – doll-shaped breads – are the traditional offerings Ecuadorians leave on their families’ tombs during the Day of the Dead (Día de los Difuntos) celebrations. Some use corn starch (maicena) to thicken the drink, others use the more traditional black corn flour (harina de maíz negro). It is not uncommon for the manger cradle to hold more than one infant Jesus. Others are unique to Latin America, such as El Burrito Sabanero. Latin American music, musical traditions of Mexico, Central America, and the portions of South America and the Caribbean colonized by the Spanish and the Portuguese. In Quito, they walk through the historic center of town, from San Francisco church, uphill to the Basilica, and back – a total of about three kilometers (1.8 miles). Speakers: Jim Bell, Director of International Survey Research, Pew Research Center the heavens, clouds of gunpowder photo © Lorraine Caputo. In Latin America, the weeks leading up to 25 December are like much elsewhere. photo © Lorraine Caputo. photo ©Lorraine Caputo, bucklets of choclo con habas, of salchipapas, The Jueves Santo procession in Quito. While almost every language in the world is spoken in the United States, the most frequently spoken non-English languages are Spanish, Chinese, French and German. Let us now take a look at some of the cucuruchos and Verónicas, the Jesuses and the Roman soldiers  …, Día de los Difuntos funerary procession. 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