In Guatemala, celebrating Holy Week, or Semana Santa in Spanish, is one of the most important religious celebrations of the year, offering tourists a one-of-a-kind opportunity to experience the authentic culture of Guatemala.
No city in the world embraces and cherishes Lent and Holy Week like Antigua Guatemala. In fact, Holy Week is considered the busiest week of the year in Antigua Guatemala. This historic city basically doubles in population size, and all the hotels get booked at least months (or even a year) in advance.
In November 2022, UNESCO declared Holy Week in Guatemala as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
First, let's talk about the religious context of Holy Week and its importance in the catholic church.
So what is Holy Week? It is the most important religious celebration in Catholicism. This week commemorates the Passion, or the final eight days in the life of Jesus Christ, from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday.
Here is a what happens on each day during Holy Week
Palm Sunday
Monday of Holy Week
Tuesday of Holy Week
Spy Wednesday
Holy Thursday
Good Friday
Holy Saturday
Easter Sunday
Palm Sunday marks the first day of Holy Week and is also the Sunday before Easter. This day commemorates Jesus Christ's triumphant entry into Jerusalem. At Palm Sunday mass, you might have received a palm branch, which people weave into a cross shape as a religious keepsake.
On Monday, Jesus cleanses the temple with a whip. Then, on Tuesday, Jesus is anointed with oil at Bethany and preaches parables at the Mount of Olives. On Spy Wednesday, Judas's betrayal is commemorated.
On Jesus's final night on Earth, he gathered his friends for the last supper on Holy Thursday. Perhaps one significant thing that happened this day was that Jesus instituted one sacrament, the Eucharist. This marks the first day of the Easter Triduum, or the most sacred days of the Catholic faith.
Good Friday is the day Jesus was mocked, tortured, beat and crucified, leading to his death. The reason why this day is referred as "Good Friday" remains unclear. Some sources suggest that the day is "good" in the sense that it is holy, or that the phrase is a corruption of "God's Friday."
Holy Saturday is the day before Easter. For some families, this is the time to pray together, paint Easter eggs and preparing their homes for guests. On this day, the final day of Jesus's death and his descent to hell is commemorated.
Finally, Easter Sunday is the day Jesus's resurrection, or rising, from the dead is commemorated. This concludes Holy Week, as well as Lent. According to Dynamic Catholic, Easter Sunday was an "earth-shattering, life changing, historic event and ultimate proof that Jesus truly is God."
Unlike other holidays, such as Christmas, Holy Week does not have fixed dates. In 2024, Holy Week took place from March 24 (Palm Sunday) to March 30 (Holy Saturday), followed by Easter Sunday on March 31. The dates are determined by the lunar calendar and are based on when Passover occurs.
Easter occurs on the Sunday after the paschal full moon or, in other words, the first full moon after the spring equinox.
Now that I have explained how each day during Holy Week is commemorated, let's get into how Antigua Guatemala is the best place to observe this special religious celebration. In fact, you will not find any other country that celebrates Holy Week quite like Guatemala does.
Click here for Part 2 of "Holy Week in Antigua Guatemala explained."
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