Good Friday Purple
Quito Ecuador
Good Friday will never be the same for me after yesterday’s “Procesion Jesus del Gran Poder” in Quito. Raised in Mississippi and aware of the negative associations of Mississippi to the Ku Klux Klan, I looked forward to seeing the purple-tunic version with pointed hats used in their proper and rightful place in history.Cariote
The positive associations with these costumes trump the KKK’s negative one.
Although many friends had told me that this would be a huge event, I was not prepared for the masses that crowded the streets to observe the procession.
For more information about Holy Week in Quito plus a bounty of grand images, I point you to Bob Ramsak’s Piran Cafe. Based in Quito for a few months, Bob combines professionalism in journalism with the art of photography.
When this post fires out of the “Pending” folder, I’ll be attending a wedding ceremony on the line of the equator!
Many more images and posts will follow, just not sure when! Happy Easter weekend, everyone! oops.. the post did not go out as planned, but the wedding and reception were stunning. reception still going strong! You won’t believe the show!
Back to the fiesta!
More soon!
Z
Party hats, I’m in for sure! Great post Lisa, such a life you have.
I just too9k a timeout from the reception here at hacienda guachala, and wow, wow wow, it has been a stunning day! ecuador is known for its rose industry, and surely there will be no roses to buy tomorrow – they were all here lining the road to the hacienda and most everywhere one can look. \\
the band’s playing pink floyd now, i’d better get back outside!
Thanks, Jerry!
Bob’s post is fantastic! Go learn all there is to know about this event
http://www.pirancafe.com/2015/04/04/a-passion-play-in-purple-quitos-good-friday-procession-notebook-and-image-gallery/
Impressive!!!
Thank you! That’s a great word to describe that procession! z
Thanks, Lisa! What amazing, vibrant images. Great that you caught them…
Thank you, Anne. Yes, seeing the people in costume and seeing the thousands that followed was quite an experience. Then there were the thousands of bystanders.
I was kind of shocked too, when I for the first time saw pictures of Spanish Easter processions, I probably thought this kind of costumes were invited by the KKK. I have never seen any such in real life, but I would like too. Historic and religious roots are important to know, and I am glad they are celebrated (even if I must admit it looks “different”). In general, we must take back symbols that are misused. These are vibrant photos, Z. Some occation to take part in.
“In general, we must take back symbols that are misused.” You are so right. Thanks – perhaps this will happen.
Impressive street photography, Lisa. You really captured a moment in time…religion and culture.
Thanks, amiga. Maybe one year you and Ron can return for Holy Week? 🙂
Thanks, Lisa! I was on the lookout for you, but alas you were lost in the sea of purple. Those cactus carriers were a unique twist. I was wondering how long it will take to dig all the needles out.
Si, those cactus folks definitely selected a graphic illustration to use in the procession. It’s much more effective than giving children chocolate easter bunnies…
Your post helped explain why the procession started earlier than we expected. We were late as well – first because the parking ops were full, and then walking into people-clogged areas… My best shots came at the finale; we were having lunch on a rooftop restaurant when someone spotted the procession coming to the finale. I abandoned my seat at the table and dashed to the streets. The sun came out for great contrasts in photos, but then umbrellas also came out, blocking the photo ops!
Those people know that Easter is not about chocolate bunnies and colored eggs. That’s for sure. Thanks for the brilliant photo-study.
Yes, many of those people are very humble, and their costumes and respect for the history of Christ’s suffering reminds all of us to remember the true reason of Easter, better known as Holy Week…. I reallly don’t like that the Easter bunny has stolen a lot of the holiday.
Thanks for sharing a wonderful holiday post. Your pictures captured the drama and color of the event. I hope you really had a great time at the wedding. Happy Easter!
The wedding was lovely, and the reception so beautiful and unique that I almost cried many times. I’m about half way through the images.
Happy Easter to you and your family as well!
Such beautiful pageantry! Were you with Bob or did you just happen to catch similar images? Would love to go shooting with you one day.
The procession went on for hours, and though we kew we would both be attending, we did not cross paths. I joked and said that he couldn’t miss me – I’d be wearing purple garb and a cone-shaped hat….
He took some great images and backed it all with a wealth of information. Bob does his research, and I am always grateful to what he shares.
Happy Easter to you chica! Hugs – B
Same to you; I’m sure you cooked something amazing! Presentlhy I’m stuffed from another ‘Fanesca’ feast…. My friend’s very lean husband had two serviing – I don’t know where he found room for it!
Leftovers tonight. We do not celebrate Easter. I would love to see a post on the Fanesca feast!
Yes, I just read a great ‘tutorial’ post about fanesca.. https://latinamericawanderer.wordpress.com/2015/04/03/fanesca-a-food-for-a-new-life
Very interesting…All the parts that it takes to make this dish! Amazing…I could almost smell the food from those photos! 🙂
Z, I see your Triple K reference. Fortunately, this symbolizes a greater cause. Happy Easter, BTG
Seeing the ‘costumes’ made me curious about the customs, and why the KKK used this same design (more or less)… It’s initeresting how seeing these costumes triggered a strong sense of foreboding, strictly based on association… I wonder what it would take to use the same white costumes and use them for good causes… again, more research is needed.
Z, you may have noticed a good trend in some southern cities. The names of former civic leaders, who also were key leaders in the KKK, are being removed from buildings and schools. In Jacksonville, Forrest (as in Nathan Bedford of Forrest Gump fame) Senior High School has been renamed and in NC, the buildings at UNC Chapel Hill named after former Governor (and KKK leader) William Aycock are being stripped. This goes under the category of its about time. All the best, BTG
No, I did not know that… thanks so much for sharing that info. Down here in Latin America are names of ‘heroes’ who contributed to the mass killings of the native Americans. It saddens me that they’re given such high respect in history books for ‘discovering’ and claiming lands for their countries – at the expense of the ones they murdered…
Winners, no matter how they won, tend to write history books. It takes an effort to write the truth. I just watched a. 60 Minute piece on the Wikipedia contributors who want an accurate product for its own sake.
Happy Easter, Lisa. xxx
Happy Easter to you as well, Gemma! Hope the weather’s warm, and the flowers exploding with color! Z
Not yet, but soon.
😊❤️👍🌸🌷🌹🌻
Stunning close-ups, Lisa. The irony of costume is a perfect title. Happy Easter. xxoo
Thanks, Debbie. Seeing the images gives one a good idea of what the procession is like, but seeing it in living color is quite memorable.
The first thing that came to mind when I saw the costumes wasn’t the KKK but the Cajun Mardi Gras, with the conical hats and costumes that go back to Europe in the 1500s — maybe earlier. The explanation was interesting. Purple is the color of penance and Lent, of course, but I also thought of the “dunce cap” that used to be used in schools. Fascinating.
I confess that I find these processions disturbing. I find it hard to understand them as expressions of faith. That doesn’t mean that they aren’t expressions of faith, of course: only that they are as foreign to me as anything I’ve come up against. Given some of the things I experienced in Africa, that’s saying something. Of course, there have been occasional surges of such devotional forms in other settings: self-flagellation in monasteries comes to mind. Maybe it’s just that, given the torturous punishments being meted out around the world today, I hate to see people doing similar things to themselves.
Anyway — the photos are wonderful, and the links useful. Now — party on!
Thanks, Amiga; you always contribute well-read (from being well-traveled) wisdom, which comes from experiencing other cultures – some of them in our own country and of course your time in Africa.
Seeing this is disturbing, especially the ones with barbed wire, chains or cacti affecting every step. It’s interesting to witness others watching these graphic examples — children look on with awe and sometimes a bit of confusion. I think when one grows up with these customs, they seem normal by the time they’re adults.
It’s good to be reminded of the history of Jesus’s tormentors, but it’s also good to remind others that through his suffering, humiliation and crucifixion, they are totally forgiven with no need to literally punish themselves.
Seeing the men carrying the cross definitely reminds others of the history, which beats using the Easter Bunny as the most-important icon for the holiday.
Oh, isn’t this true! “Seeing the men carrying the cross definitely reminds others of the history, which beats using the Easter Bunny as the most-important icon for the holiday.” For the first time in my life, I had no desire for the bunnies, chocolates or baskets this year. An Easter without chocolate? Well, I did it — only because it didn’t seem important. I still don’t understand how it happened. 🙂
I feel the same way, though early this morning at hacienda guachala, a cute cottontailed rabbit roamed the grounds with little fear of man. It gave me a warm feeling to watch it, especially on Easter morning!
Just like killing animals for sport, some of us need years and years of time to evolve out of the customs we were raised with and become more sensitive and spiritual.
Reblogged this on I'd rather be living in Bora Bora and commented:
Yikes–kind of sends shivers up my spine. Glad the cloth wasn’t white!
“Yikes” is a great verbal reaction! Thanks— You added a touch of much-needed humor! Z
I followed the reblog prompt, but it took me to an ‘oops’ page… will check again in the morning.
I think I made an oopsie–I meant to add a comment and hit reblog instead, which is probably why you got an oops page.
Misused symbols comes right here – vibrant and interesting, Lisa. I have never seen anything like this – thank you for posting! I will go to piran café too.
bob did a great job on the research and sharing the details about this particular procession and the customs. he’s the person to go to when interested in what’s happening or about to happen in quito! thanks, amiga.. am on the bus and heading home… z
This reminded me a bit of our time in Mexico at Easter. I was very moved by the pageantry and how seriously the locals were in the parts they played in the reenactments. This was the first time I have seen those purpose costumes. Very interesting.
si.. those costumes strike me in a strange way, though i am now prepared to see them in the future.. did they have the ‘castillo’ fireworks for weddings in mexico?
Yes they did Lisa. The first time I experienced them was after an evening wedding in San Miguel…fabulous!
Love the photos, One of the years we’ll have to travel up into the sierras to see it in person, hugs
This was some procession Lisa – emotionally charged with everyone giving reverence to the characters they play. Love the shot of the little girl – beautiful. This wedding was something else, so glad you enjoyed yourself!
Ecuador continues to surprise me. Just when I think I know this country, there are new surprises!
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