 On the heels of spring break, you would think that the week leading up to the Easter holiday would be peaceful and quiet on the the neighboring Texas Coast, especially South Padre Island. And while there is certainly a change from college kids to family-oriented gatherings, the crowds in general are, surprisingly, very similar.
Welcome to Santa Semana, or Holy Week, a time when thousands migrate south to the beaches of South Padre Island to participate in an annual pilgrimage of escape from the rigors of the secular world and into an environment that for many has become more of a spiritual retreat than a simple getaway vacation.
Short, tall, well to do or not -- they come, literally by the thousands, toting their picnic baskets and sand pails, hauling in their ice chests and grandchildren. Most have traveled across the border from Mexico where Santa Semana is more than a tradition - more of a pilgrimage actually.
But why? What is Santa Semana to the average Mexican citizen? And how does it relate and compare to North America’s more traditional Easter week celebration?
As you may have guessed, the tradition of Santa Semana got its start in Spain. Of all of the Catholic traditions which are celebrated throughout the year, none is more important than the Passion of Christ, or Easter Week, which in Spanish is called Semana Santa o Pascua (Holy Week).
With the exploration and settlement of the New World, the Spanish brought with them their time honored observance of Holy Week. The Inquisition, while devastating to the indigenous population of Mexico, did instill a lasting impression on the local population, one that has survived the years of evolution and revolution and has become rooted into the social structure of Mexican society.
 Beginning with the Domingo de Ramos (Palm Sunday) and ending with Lunes de Pascua (Easter or Paschal Monday), Mexico is filled with laughter and tears celebrating friends, color, and life itself.
Semana Santa celebrations are renowned as a mixture of spiritual, artistic, and emotionally involving celebrations of family, God and country. Like spring break for the average college student, Mexican Nationals wouldn’t dream of missing the annual festivities associated with the religious holiday. In Mexican culture, Santa Semana is as important as Christmas.
For Mexico, Easter is a combination of Semana Santa (Holy Week - Palm Sunday to Easter Saturday) and Pascua (Resurrection Sunday until the following Saturday). For most Mexicans, this two week period is the time of year for vacations. Semana Santa celebrates the last days of the Christ's life. Pascua is the celebration of the Christ's Resurrection. It is also the release from the sacrifices of Lent.
But the celebration of Holy Week is more than a spiritual journey! As with most Mexican holidays, it is a time for festive retreat, including colorful costumes, impromptu reenactments, music, dance and, of course, food. The atmosphere is festive, with people taking to the streets and beaches, released from the winter confines of the house, ready to celebrate spring and rebirth.
From Holy Thursday to Easter Sunday, throngs of people dance through the streets of Mexican towns and villages, and many turn to the traditional favorite of Easter -- ice cream. In the early days, Mexico City would come alive with ice cream stands this time of year. Pilgrims would make the hard trek up the slopes of Popocatépetl (Mexico City's looming volcano) to retrieve snow used for making ice cream, often mixed with fresh fruit like pineapple, melon, tamarindo, and chia seeds.
Pushcarts, loaded with tubs of ice cream and the fresh fruit ice bars called paletas, wheel their way through the streets. Raspadores - the vendors of the snow cone-like shaved ices known as raspados - are parked in front of schools on weekdays during the hot spring season. During Semana Santa, vendors of ice cream and raspados push their way through the crowds gathered in the plazas in front of churches, calling out their distinctive cry.
In most Mexican communities,
Holy Week, or Major Week, when the people live their faith with the most intensity, begins on Palm Sunday, with a procession through many of the main streets of the town and with the blessing of the palms in the parish church.
Palm Sunday is when the faithful join in a special mass which includes the blessing of palm fronds or crosses and other figures that have been fashioned from palms. A large procession commemorating Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem often precedes the mass. Some of the blessed palms are later burned and the ashes reserved by the church for marking the sign of the cross on the foreheads of communicants during Ash Wednesday services the following year.
On Wednesday of Holy Week, some churches celebrate a late-afternoon vespers service called "los matines de las tinieblas", in which the disciples’ abandonment of Jesus is recalled. A candelabra set with 15 candles illuminates the altar. One candle is extinguished after the singing of each Psalm until, at the end of the service, only the center candle, representing Christ, remains lit. On Maundy Thursday, or Jueves Santo, in cathedrals throughout Mexico, bishops celebrate special masses during which the Chrism, a sacred oil used in the sacraments, is consecrated. In the evening many churches hold some type of reenactment of the Last Supper.
On Good Friday, a Passion Play, or a recreation of the Via Crucis, (the Way of the Cross) on Viernes Santo, is often held in the community of the local parish. Holy Saturday is often marked by the greatest of the holy vigils celebrated during the liturgical year. This includes a solemn evening mass during which church members light candles at the altar. Following mass, participants in some communities gather outside the church for the burning of Los Judas. These large paper maché effigies, usually painted in eye-popping colors, represent Judas Iscariot and other forces of evil.
Easter Sunday is the culmination of Lent and Holy Week, and celebrated by the entire family.
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