The solstices and equinoxes are important times of the year, especially for peoples with earth-based religions. Woman selling palm ornaments. As it approached, the car would be outfitted with supplies and a group would pile in to make the 400-kilometer (250-mile) trek up to the Arctic Circle. Latin American countries which have been significantly influenced by Catholicism have many holidays to celebrate their patron saints and virgins to venerate Mary, the mother of Jesus. Latinos in the United States also display this Because many families head to the beach or other popular national destinations during the holiday, hotel and food prices in those places triple or even quadruple. in darkened windows Friends accompany a penitent, to help him hoist the cross upon his shoulders, or to relieve the weight for a block or two. Hispanic Americans are the fastest growing ethnic group in the United States, and religion plays a pivotal role in both the preservation of their heritage and their acculturation into U.S. culture. With a large wooden spoon, doña Rosalía lifts each herb out of the simmering tisane, to teach me the names: ishpingo and pimienta dulce. photo ©Lorraine Caputo, bucklets of choclo con habas, of salchipapas, The Jueves Santo procession in Quito. During the short day, races take place on a ski run constructed on the main street. Throughout Latin America, in big cities and small villages, processions occur from Holy Wednesday through Holy Saturday of Semana Santa (Easter Week). Also in Mexico – specifically Oaxaca – is the Noche de Rábanos, or Night of the Radishes, celebrated on 23 December with a popular competition of the best-carved giant radishes. Spanning two volumes, Hispanic American Religious Cultures encompasses the full diversity of faiths and spiritual beliefs practiced among Hispanic Americans. Viernes Santo (Good Friday) is the day of the crucifixion. Since mid-October, restaurants and families have been preparing this laborious drink that is served to honor the dead. 7 In all of Latin America, people in the Central American nations of Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala and El Salvador are among the most religiously committed and socially conservative. To set the tone, let’s listen to the Oscar award-winning song, “Remember Me,” from the movie Coco (if you haven’t seen this movie about Mexico’s Day of the Dead yet, I encourage you to do so!). photo © Lorraine Caputo. I cross the highway to a roadside eatery to sit down to a typical Argentine parrillada (barbecue). This is definitely a time to witness Latin American partying at its finest. down a deserted street, As that twelve o’clock hour nears One of his largest strong hold is in Venezuela’s state of Lara, where he is the patron saint. Her halo is made of fine silver filigree. Here is the home where chamamé pioneer Eustaquio Miño once lived (Calle Cabral, east of Plaza Mitre) and the Museo de Chamamé (Calle Moreno, between Calle Cabral and Calle Astrada). (worship of African gods clothed in Catholic dogma) beliefs and My first visit to Venezuela coincided with the fiestas of San Antonio. In further south climes, this popular Saint is also being fêted. photo © Lorraine Caputo, Walking through the market, the calls reverberate down Quito’s narrow colonial streets. In Northern European indigenous traditions, ghost stories are told around the Yule log. Semana Santa – Holy Week – is one of the most important holidays in Latin America, both religiously and secularly. Maicena or …”, “No, harina, harina de maíz negro. To be Spanish or Portuguese around the beginning of the sixteenth century meant being impregnated with … to customers This tradition is interesting to me since in Ecuador we have a new year’s eve tradition of burning an effigy. It happened exactly as Gauchito Gil foretold. WHEN THE VEILS PART : Honoring Our Dead – Part II. 1.800.772.9188 . Religious Tradition view of Euthanasia State One Religious Traditions View Of Euthanasia Euthanasia is described by the Oxford English Dictionary as ‘The bringing about of a gentle and easy death, especially in the case of incurable and painful diseases’ . photo ©Lorraine Caputo. photo © Lorraine Caputo. Other friends may dress as Roman centurions to “guard” him on the way of the cross – or even to whip him. or for love conquered. He is the patron saint of Ecuador’s police forces. at sidewalk tables, All else is closed Latin America, but varies in form and practice from country to country Today we shall witness Quito’s famous Good Friday procession – and take a look at the human face behind the hoods and veils. On the sideboard, the naranjilla and blackberries, which have been cooked together, are cooling. From the Bolivian border to the Beagle Channel, from the Andes along the Chilean frontier to the Atlantic Ocean, I have seen red flags fluttering at the side of roads. It is the time of the release of potentials: in politics, and in family, personal and community relationships. Modern Argentina isn’t a particularly religious country. Latinos generally subscribe to Christian beliefs of an afterlife in curanderos the crescendo of rockets This raymi also involves a purification ceremony as well as a communal meal that includes potato, mote (hominy), cuy (guinea pig), chicha and other foods. I have passed the Christmas season in large cities and small towns in Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile and Argentina. Iglesia San Francisco (Puerto Ayora, Isla Santa Cruz, Galapagos). The infant Jesus is not added to the Nativity scene until tonight, 24 December. Statue to chamamé music. photo © Lorraine Caputo. Now is when spiritual and political leaders are celebrated and the baton of power is passed on. Unlike most penitents who carry heavy crosses, shackles, stinging nettle or some instruments of flagellation, this cucurucho chose to carry a flower. The value of generosity is perhaps most dramatically figured in the northern practice known in English as giveaway or in the potlatch of the Northwest Coast peoples, in which property and gifts are ceremonially distributed. This season is also celebrated with traditional foods, especially fish, bacalao (salt cod) and seafood. As well, because many travel during this time, bus and other transportation prices also dramatically increase across the board – especially in countries like Peru. The many stalls sell everything you need to pay respects to Gauchito Gil at this sanctuary and at home. It is not uncommon for the manger cradle to hold more than one infant Jesus. Saint Anthony became a monk of this order, and was famous for his knowledge of scripture, being able to teach them through simple words and deeds. Like Northern Europe’s Winter Solstice or Yule celebrations, it is a beseeching to the Sun that he return, bringing life back to Earth. The words 'Latin America' are used to describe the group of 21 countries (listed below) in the American continent where Latin languages are spoken. If you happen to be out on the street when he passes by, and you refuse to give him a “tip,” he will bear-hug you with his grease-covered body! The song is usually sung in the morning and sometimes as a serenade (serenata). Literary Expressions / Expresiones Literarias, CHRISTMAS IN LATIN AMERICA : A Poetic – Photographic Journey, PATRONS OF FISHERMEN : San Pedro and San Pablo, THE PASSION OF CHRIST : Quito’s Good Friday Procession, A FEAST DAY IN THE COUNTRY – AND THE CITY : Fêting San Antonio in Latin America, FÊTING THE SUN: The Andean Raymi Festivals, SEMANA SANTA IN LATIN AMERICA : A Poetic – Photographic Journey, GAUCHITO GIL : A Home-Grown Saint for Travelers and Justice, NEW YEAR’S EVE IN LATIN AMERICA : A Photographic – Poetic Journey, NEW PUBLICATIONS : Poetic and Travel – December Solstice 2020, NEW PUBLICATIONS : Poetic and Travel – September Equinox 2020, San Pedro y San Pablo Ayutla, and San Pablo Villa de Mitla (Oaxaca), Chuarrancho, San Pedro Sacatepéquez (Guatemala), San Pedro Masahuat, and San Pedro Nonualco (La Paz), San Rafael Cedros, and San Pedro Perulapán (Cuscatlán), San Pedro y San Pablo (Villanueva, Chinandega), Crucita, Manta, Jaramijó, and Montecristi (Manabí), Esmeraldas (Barrio El Panecillo) (Esmeraldas), Checa, Licán, Cayambe, Pomasqui, Ayora, and Tabacundo (Pichincha), Pimampiro, Cotacachi, and Cayambe (Imbabura), San Pedro y San Pablo, Ayangue, and Santa Rosa (Santa Elena Province), Catholic façade: Saint John the Baptist (San Juan Bautista), whose feast day is 24 June, Catholic façade: Virgin of Mercy (Virgen de la Merced), whose feast day is 24 September, Catholic façade: Christmas, which is 25 December, Catholic façade: Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin (Anunciación), which is 25 March, or with Carnaval. physical remedies for virtually any ailment. sipping sidra & It divides the field into studies of socioreligious formations (particularistic and universalistic formations, more specifically) and studies of cosmologies or worldviews (so-called perspectivism). And in cemeteries in both small towns and large cities throughout the Americas, you’ll see a tomb with flowers, candles and offerings to some local, home-grown santo. WHEN THE VEILS PART : Honoring Our Dead – Part I. One of the most spectacular Semana Santa processions in Quito is that of Good Friday, dedicated to the Jesús de Gran Poder. ... Hispanic Traditions - A fun look at some of the most popular traditions celebrated by Hispanics around the world. Their religious devotion in one example of how local culture affects the styles and practices of work in Latin America. Why do so many thousands come and camp along this highway every 8 January, his feast day? photo © Lorraine Caputo, Ataco, or amaranth flower. The equatorial sun on the June solstice. Processions wind through narrow streets. While almost every language in the world is spoken in the United States, the most frequently spoken non-English languages are Spanish, Chinese, French and German. © Lorraine Caputo. As well as being a fertility ceremony, a purification ritual is performed to drive away negative energies and spirits. Examples of this are the celebration of the Virgin of Candelaria. Inti Raymi was banned by the Catholic Church in 1572. Cousin Its in Málaga, Colombia. Argentina has the largest communities of both Jews and Muslims in Latin America.Practitioners of the Judaism, Buddhist, Islamic, Hinduism, Bahá'í Faith, and Shinto denominations and religions also exercised in Latin America.. Hinduism is the second-largest religion in Suriname.According to the 2012 census of Suriname, Hindus constitute 22.3% of the population. The price for a babaco  doubles or triples in price, from $1 – $1.50 to $3. Raymi ceremonies are usually held at places of historical important, like archaeological sites. 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