Les Conditions Humain

Celebrations

Christmas and New Year

Christmas is perhaps the biggest celebration of the year for Hondurans. It is filled with religious meaning, as the commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ is at heart of it. Christmas is celebrated at the stroke of midnight on the night of the 24th of December (as opposed to the 25th in other countries).

For Hondurans, Christmas is a very special and emotional occasion and is important to spend it with the family. Just before midnight, the family will gather and pray together, which may include the reading of passages of the Bible that narrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Once the prayer is finished, the family members engage in a round of hearty hugs and wish each other "¡Feliz Navidad!". The Christmas meal is usually served after this.

The Christmas meal itself is extremely important. Usually, it takes several days to prepare and several days to recover from it. The typical menu is a combination of the traditional Latinamerican menu plus items borrowed from the North American Christmas menu:

• Tamales

• Torrejas (click here for recipe)

• Sweet potato puree

• Eggnog

• Roasted pork ham

• Roasted turkey (or chicken)

• Stuffing

• Cranberry sauce

As late as the first quarter of the 20th century, Latinamericans traditionally exchanged gifts on the 6th of January, the date traditionally associated with the Three Magi visiting the newborn Christ and delivering gifts. Santa Claus and Christmas Trees were not heard of in those days. Inevitably, the influence of North-American and European cultures has filtered into the Honduran traditions, and now Christmas trees and exchanging of gifts are considered to be absolutely essential elements of Christmas. Although it has nothing to do with Latinamerican tradition, Santa Claus is ubiquitous during the season and most Honduran children learn to believe in him from an early age, just like children in many other countries.

Pyrotechnics

Several weeks before Christmas Eve, the streets of the cities become populated with vendors of firecrackers and other pyrotechnical articles. Hondurans, especially children, will spend considerable amounts on money purchasing pyrotecnics. The amount of pyrotechnics set off (and the noise level) grows exponentially thought the Christmas season, reaching a a spectacular climax at the stroke of midnight on Christmas Eve. Sadly, this tradition is now endangered: the Honduran government has recently passed laws prohibiting the sale of pyrotechnic devices

The "Guest of Honor" gets blown up!

In Tegucigalpa, an Año Viejo made to look like

a famous Latinamerican political figure

sits waiting to be set alight on New year's Eve

Photo by Anibal Villatoro

No, not really. A few days before 31st of December, the children and teenagers in the neighborhoods in the cities will fashion a life-size doll or mannequin of an old man, representing the year that is about to end: the "Año Viejo". The doll is fashioned from whatever materials the children can gather and dressed with old clothes collected from the neighbors and stuffed with as many pyrotechnical devices as possible. There are no guidelines, so each Año Viejo reflects the creativity of each "neighborhood team". Sometimes they are made to look like politicians or other famous (or rather infamous) public figures.

At the stroke of midnight of 31st of December, the Año Viejo is set alight, with all the pyrotechnics setting off in a loud and bright display that the neighbors gather around to see. This is echoed to spectacular effect throught the cities and towns, as each neighborhood will have its own Año Viejo. The cleanup effort the next morning is also spectacular.

The Año Viejo is meant symbolise of all the bad and forgettable events of the outgoing year. So, in a way, burning the Año Viejo is a symbolic "burning away" of bad memories. Also, it is simply great fun to watch!

Unfortunately, the Honduran government has forbidden the sale and use of the type of pyrotechnic items used to build the Año Viejo and as of Christmas 2014 they're enforcing the law quite seriously. The Año Viejo may be a thing of the past- in more than one way!

On the eve of December 31st, young Hondurans Sara, René, Dennis, and Diego proudly pose

with the 'Año Viejo' they have crafted from old clothes, a plastic football, and a used mop.

Photo by Anibal Villatoro

Easter

Easter celebrations center around Semana Santa (literally, "Holy Week"). During this week, Christians commemorate the events of the last days in the life of Jesus Christ, as narrated in the Bible. It begins on Sunday of Palms. It is a period of reflection and good behaviour for all Christians.

With Catholicism being the dominant religion, Easter is an important time of the year for Hondurans and it is celebrated accordingly, with religious parades, special masses, and other traditional events hailing from Colonial times.

On the evening of Good Friday, people attend a special mass to commemorate the death of Jesus Christ. Since the Catholic tradition indicates that he resurrected three days later, a meal is arranged to commemorate celebrate this on the evening of the Easter Sunday.

Most of the year, the figures depicting Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph, and other saints are kept safely inside the Catholic churches. But on Good Friday, they are dressed in elaborate and elegant costumes, brought out of their church or cathedral, and paraded on floats around the city or town. The floats are solemnly and slowy carried through the streets by volunteers, while band plays a funerary piece. The parade symbolizes Christ's funeral.

Figures of Christ and The Virgin Mary, Tegucigalpa, Easter 2013

Photos by Gina Villatoro

Traditionally, the streets on the parade's route are covered with decorative "carpets" made

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