Kites, Carpets, & Chocolate Bilbies

Easter is a holiday that is celebrated all over the world as a religious and secular holiday. In the United States, Easter often means chocolate bunnies, decorated eggs, and the Easter Bunny, as well as dressing up in new clothes and going to church services. But other parts of the world have their own unique traditions for celebrating Easter.

Guatemala: La Semana Santa

Semana Santa, which, which means “carpets” in English. These are beautiful, patterned pathways created on the streets, and they look like carpets, but they are made from colored sawdust, fruits, vegetables, flowers, and sand. Some can be a half mile long, while others are just a few feet. These carpets are used for the processions, another Semana Santa tradition, during which long wooden floats depicting images of Jesus and the events of Holy Week are carried through the streets on the shoulders of men, women, and sometimes children.