...which we did, just a couple weeks ago. In fact, we just celebrated our second Holy Week in Ecuador, since we had taken our initial visit to Hillary's sister last year at this same time. This time around, however, we celebrated in a much more Ecuadorian style...
...by making fanesca! the traditional 12-grain/fish soup painstakingly prepared and (sometimes dutifully) consumed by Ecuadorian families every year during Holy Week.
Our NILI Director, Lucy, shows our group what we need to do to prepare the ingredients for the fanesca. Look at all of those ingredients!
Hillary and Ian shuck the thin casings off of hundreds of beans called avas (somewhat like our lima beans) to prepare them for use in the fanesca, while one of the girls from our NILI Professional family makes faces behind us. :-)
Hillary stands next to the massive cauldron we used to make the fanesca. (And by "we," I mean the kind ladies from our church who actually knew what they were doing.)
The finished product, topped with hard-boiled eggs, a sprig of cilantro, a couple of sticks of mozzarella cheese, and served alongside fried bananas (maduros), fried dough balls stuffed with cheese, and a fried cheese empanada. Graciously, the dried (and quite pungent) fish was served on the side, to be added to the soup if so desired.
We also commemorated Holy Week by attending the "parade" (don't think floats; think slow, somber march of penance) called Jesús del Gran Poder (Jesus of Great Power). This gloomy Good Friday (they call it Holy Friday here) ceremony looks, to the typical North America observer, like a Ku Klux Klan meeting gone wrong, but is, in fact, an opportunity for men and women (sometimes even children) to demonstrate remorse for sin through a difficult, sometimes grueling, march of physical castigation.
Don't fear! These are just the cucuruchos, those who march in the parade. They've inherited their KKK-looking garb from Spain, where this procession originated. The garb signifies anonymity and self-denial, though we're not sure on its exact origins.
The hoods--most of which only have slits for the eyes, not the nose or mouth--are claustrophobic, especially with the sun beating down on their dark-colored robes in the middle of the day.
Many carry full-size crosses, some even heavier than these, recalling Jesus' march to Calvary.
Others put heavy crossbeams across their shoulders.
Many go barefooted on the hot pavement of the streets of Quito.
This man has written a message to God across his chest, asking for forgiveness, as he carries a crossbeam with a nasty herb attached to it that causes skin irritation.
Some put manacles around their ankles and carry the chains with them on their march through the city streets.
This man has both barbed wire around his waist and a crossbeam covered in that skin-irritating herb on his shoulders.
Even the very young participate.
It wasn't a gloomy weekend for us, though, despite the cucuruchos. We celebrated the Triumphal Entry of Jesus at the beginning of Holy Week and his resurrection on Easter Sunday!
A procession of worshipers marched down the aisle of the church shouting "Hosanna! Praise be to the Son of David!" on Palm Sunday at our church in Carcelén.
The worshipers were followed in by "Jesus," played by one of the young boys in the church, riding in on the back of a donkey (or the backs of two of his buddies dressed up like a donkey, at least).
NILI friends gathered outside the Carcelén church on Easter Sunday.
This is how we celebrate the Risen Lord Jesus on Easter Sunday in Quito! The lyrics of the chorus say, Christ is not dead. He's alive! I feel it in my hands. I feel it in my feet. I feel it in all of my being!
We even made a good ol' pot roast, just like mom used to make it, for Easter Dinner!
It was a special treat to celebrate all of the festivities of Holy Week with the church here in Quito, Ecuador. There is no greater time of the year to be a Christian, and we felt honored to celebrate alongside brothers and sisters who knew well in their hearts and minds the hope we have in Christ because of his death and resurrection. We hope it was a blessed Holy Week for you, our beloved friends and family back home. The body of Christ is united around the world to declare that He is alive and His Spirit is with us!
Thanks for posting this, I enjoyed it, especially the video of the worship song.
ReplyDeleteI am glad you are enjoying the spiritual fellowship of our Quito friends in Christ!