As the end of March nears and the month of April is ahead of us the time has come to start contemplating the very special Easter celebrations. pretty much everybody knows the tradition of Easter centers around remembering Jesus Christ dying on the cross and rising again three days after. Easter is a religious celebration observed by Christians all over the world.
You can probably figure out that if you were to travel to a variety of nations around the world to commemorate the Easter traditions you would see that they are all pretty alike. All you have to do is look anywhere around the world and you can see, any one cultural group has a way of adding it's own one-of-a-kind celebrations to a holiday and Easter is no exception.
To demonstrate further in North America the Easter Bunny, Easter eggs and Easter chocolates are also very much associated with Easter. Like many of the holidays in North American nations what started as a religious celebration has beenchanged into a yearly observance that is more commercial and retail oriented in order to include those that don't have any religious affiliation.
In Spanish speaking regions Easter is called Semana Santa, or Holy week. For most countries where Spanish is the official language Roman Catholicism is the main religion. As a result of this Semana Santa is a very important tradition in the Spanish culture. Most of the Roman Catholic Easter traditions are observed also.
If there is one thing the Spanish know how to do it's throw a good party and Semana Santa is no special case. The Holy week is brimming with parades and processions. In these parades and processions you will see giant floats adourned with flowers and elaborate decorations that depict the Passion of the Christ and seemawesome. Semana Santa is an one of the crown jewels of celebrations in the Spanish culture.
The majority of the Spanish speaking countries businesses and schools will shut down for four days at the same time as Semana Santa. During Semana Santa many people journey to visit their families to observe the holidays with each other.
One of the main focal points of any holiday is food, and Semana Santa is no different! The food is very much a part of the traditions that make up a holiday. During Semana Santa traditional dishes of all sorts are made such as hornazo (imagine a sausage egg mcmuffin), torrijas (think of French toast), la mona (a biscuit cake with frosting) and arroz con leche (a sweet rice pudding). These are the common dishes served at Semana Santa in many Spanish speaking countries. The main entrees that are provided often differ from region to region. You will find that most of the main dishes are without meat as many catholics do not eat meat at this time.
The main purpose of Semana Santa is remembering the rising of the Christ and a time for families to get together and enjoy each others company. A great way to enhance the experience is to learn how to speak Spanish. This will enrich your experience and allow you to experience it in a far more intimate way. Observe the ceremonies, mingle with the people and have a new Easter memory.
Author Resource:
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