Holy Week: The Most Faithful Time of the Year

**The following posting comes from Ana Toro, an FH Hispania colleague in Atlanta.** 

Holy Week, or Semana Santa, commemorates the last week of the earthly life of Jesus Christ, culminating with his crucifixion on Good Friday and his resurrection on Easter Sunday. It includes the religious holidays of Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday (Holy Thursday), and Good Friday, and is a time of major celebration for Catholics worldwide.

According to the Pew Hispanic Center and the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, about 68 percent of U.S. Hispanics say they are Catholics.  And while recent reports have documented some trends in shifts on faith, Catholicism remains the main religion among the demographic.

One of the biggest adjustments Catholic immigrants face when they come to the United States is how they practice their faith, especially during Holy Week. To begin with, the fact that in the U.S. everyone works the whole week is a culture shock for many Latinos.  Children in many countries such as Peru, Mexico,  Panama, Colombia, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic have no school during Holy Week -- and the same holds true for some Catholic schools in the United States.  But on the job, the same Latin American countries observe at least part of the week as a holiday (typically Wednesday, Thursday and Friday) and this is not customary in the U.S..

Not having at least Thursday and Friday off of work is difficult for many Hispanics to comprehend, as these days are considered by faith and family as high holidays: a time to reflect, observe penance and fast.  As a child, I could not listen to the radio or even watch TV (except the Jesus Christ movies), especially on Good Friday. That was the only day of the year I remember my house to be so quiet, I could hear my next door neighbor’s phone ring.

Fervor is another important aspect of this holiday. Processions have always been an important aspect of our faith, such as the blessing of the palms on Palm Sunday, the street processions like those in Mexico and other Latin American countries, and the Via Crucis (Way of the Cross). But the reality is that some Catholic parishes in the U.S. have to celebrate these and other processions on their premises rather than walk the local streets, as is the custom in Latin America.

Some schools with high Hispanic demographics have embraced the Holiday in deference to its student population. Gwinnett County in Georgia has made Good Friday a student holiday, not a religious one,  because many Hispanic children were absent on this date and they noticed. Some workers in Georgia, and across the country, take the day off as a vacation or personal day.   

Still, faith is alive and well among Hispanics and other Catholics and adapting-- either by taking the time off as vacation or planning to be able to observe the Holidays as faith and tradition dictates-- is a sign that fervent worship is still strong.