Ep. 1 Good Friday
(The Idiots are visiting for a couple weeks on their favorite Caribbean island – Roatan, Honduras. Having spent a total of about a half year on the island, spread out over a decade and seven trips, these episodes aren’t really so much about tourism as they are about returning to a beloved place and the people who make it special.)
Central America has a long history of Christianity. When the Spanish invaded, they brought soldiers to enslave the bodies of the Natives and priests to dominate their minds… converting them, often by force, to a new religion.
For Christians, the most solemn time of the year is Holy Week… the time each year they celebrate Jesus’ death and resurrection. In Central America it is called Semana Santa. Many businesses and government offices close for the whole week and it is the most universal family holiday of the year.
As with so many religious holidays, Semana Santa’s spiritual meaning has been eclipsed by its secular celebration. In the US, Santa plays a much bigger role than the infant Jesus in the celebration of Christmas… and the Easter bunny, colored eggs, and Peeps are far more commercial than a bloody execution and a body brought back to life in a tomb. For many, despite the religious roots of the holiday, God is optional
In Honduras, there seem to be only two firm rules about Semana Santa.
One: You must, if at all possible, go to the beach.
Two: You must take every possible member of your extended family with you to the beach.
For much of the year, Roatan’s economy is based on tourists from North America and Europe. Honduran mainlanders often don’t have the money, time, or inclination to visit the Bay Islands. But that changes during Semana Santa. It is the one week of the year that many mainland Hondurans join the hoards of foreign tourists on the beaches of Roatan.
The Idiots arrived on the island on Good Friday. Their Roatan family picked them up from the airport, took them shopping, got them settled at their temporary home, La Casa Azul, took them to lunch at Rotisserie Chicken in West End… and then it was down to “the beach” – West Bay Beach – for sunset.
A few other people had the same idea. West Bay Beach is about ½ mile long… a beautiful strand of sand and water, lined with restaurants and places to stay. By Good Friday, every rental was full and over-full as large extended-families made their annual pilgrimage to the beach.
Just a glimpse of the joyful craziness that is West Bay Beach on Good Friday!
What could possibly convey the deep spiritual significance of Semana Santa better than a giant inflatable Unicorn with rainbow wings and tail?!
Even a “poor” sunset on Roatan is pretty great. One has to live on the ocean to be familiar with the phenomenon of the sun disappearing into a cloud bank only to make a brief peek-a-boo display just before plunging below the horizon.
