Semana Santa | Holy Week
Semana Santa, Spanish for “Holy Week,” refers to the Christian period leading up to Easter Sunday. It commemorates the Passion of Jesus Christ—his final days, crucifixion, and resurrection—and is observed as a sacred time of reflection, worship, and remembrance of his suffering, death, and resurrection.
Alexia Rojas, founder of Allyship Projecs Trust, shares with us her cherished memories of observing this deeply meaningful celebration.
Chile is a long narrow nation in South America with a length of approximately 4,270km and a width of only 177km, stretching from the middle of the west coast of South America to the continent’s southern tip. It borders the Pacific Ocean to the west, and the Andes Mountains to the east; and has over 15 different climate zones from the dry Atacama Desert in the north to the southern icy glaciers and everything in between. It is also home to over 2000 volcanoes, many of them are active. Prior to the area being a Spanish colony from the mid-1500s to 1818, the Incas ruled the northern parts of modern-day Chile but could not advance further south from central Chile due to the strong resistance of the Mapuche people. The Mapuche (People of the Land) were powerful warriors and proud defenders of the land that not even Spain was able to take total control of their land. Chile is now a Spanish speaking nation with a majority Catholic population and a culture with a heavy Spanish influence. It is thus no surprise, Semana Santa (Holy Week), is a significant religious and cultural event in Chile. Semana Santa is commemorated the week leading up to Easter. This year it fell between March 29th to April 5th.
To find out more, eCALD spoke with Alexia Rojas who is a secondary school maths teacher and the founder of Allyship Projects Trust. Allyship Projects Trust is a charity that aims to bring tougher diverse ethnic communities and foster inclusion, equity, and empowerment. This year, they will deliver nearly 700 hours of workshops and cultural events in seven different languages in the Kaipātiki area alone through the newly opened Allyship Community Hub, located at Unit 3/179A Archers Road, Hillcrest, Auckland.
Alexia who is originally from Antofagasta (in the middle of the Atacama Desert) has fond memories of celebrating Semana Santa growing up in Chile. She states that while Latin Americans are generally loud, friendly, and like to dance; Semana Santa is a relatively sombre period of reflection, connecting with family, and a celebration of their Catholic faith. Alexia fondly recalls going with her family to church with a cross made from palms on Domingo de Ramos (Palm Sunday), the start of Semana Santa and commemorates Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem. The blessed palm is then taken home. Just like in Spain, Semana Santa processions are common in Chile as well as other Latin American countries. Alexia recalls walking from church along with the whole community for hours on Good Friday with re-enactments focusing on the crucifixion and describes this event as very powerful and emotional. She reflects ‘in essence, Jesus was crucified for believing in something different to that of the Roman Empire. He was discriminated.’
Alexia’s family also abstain from eating red meat on crucifixion day, a tradition she carries on in New Zealand. Alexia reminisces about the Easter egg hunts on Easter Sunday (the last day of Semana Santa). Alexia and her siblings running around the house till they found all the hidden Easter eggs and then dividing them equally among the four of them. Alexia’s extended family would then gather at her grandmother’s house after church for Easter Sunday lunch that would last until quite late, reinforcing family connections and traditions.
Alexia reflects while it is not the same as in Latin America, they are able to commemorate this special event to some extent as Easter is observed here and there are a few Latin congregations that celebrate Mass and maintain Easter traditions in Spanish and Portuguese languages, helping preserve cultural and religious identity within the community.
Allyship Projects – Creating community initiatives to promote ethnic equity
Contributed by Dulani Abeysinghe, eCALD® Educator, Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora
