In the morning there was a procession of approximately sixty women, with some men and boys. The women gathered at the church, lit their candles, and then left carrying two platforms: one with the image of Christ, the other with Soledad [the Virgin of Solitude].
Procession on Friday of Sorrows
Christ, with the cross on his right shoulder, was dressed in a lilac-colored tunic. On his forehead was a green sash, a blue ribbon around his neck, and a white cord around his waist. The size of his head was miniscule; his body almost without form and extremely enlarged. In front of the image [were] a great many white and multi-colored flowers. A number of rods were at each of the corners of the platform on which they had placed one flower on top of another, the rod passing through the center of each bloom. They did this with the flower of death and with a yellow flower, more or less four flowers on each rod.
Procession on Friday of Sorrows; Christ
The image of La Soledad was the same size as the image of Christ (1.5 feet—45 cms). Only the face and hands protruded from the black sheet that covered her, and they were almost of an insignificant size—the image gave the impression of a cross, covered with a black sheet. In front was a pile of red, purple, and white flowers, and in the corners piles of purple Bougainvillea.
When the women left the church, first with la Soledad and then with Christ, some boys took the places of the women carrying Christ. Two Prayer Leaders went ahead of La Soledad, one with a censor, both ahead of Christ. The women were formed into two groups, each one surrounding a platform. Musicians followed the Christ (two drums, base and military [snare drum], two trumpets, a clarinet, and a cornet). To the right and many times behind Christ came “the soldier,” mounted on horseback, the horse adorned with ribbons of various colors on the mane, the tail, the saddle and the girth.
Procession on Friday of Sorrows; Christ
The Prayer Leaders prayed continuously, first in Spanish, then the women singing a few words in Spanish, but for the most part humming. The procession made a large loop, stopping every fifty meters in front of a tree or a post where a cross, adorned with colored tulips, had been nailed. Every cross represented a station of the cross.
Procession on Friday of Sorrows; A Station of the Cross
Procession on Friday of Sorrows; A Station of the Cross
Lowering Christ in front of the fig tree
The last station was located in a grand fig tree in the plaza, where there were three crosses. When the procession arrived they set down the platforms in front of the crosses. The women knelt down and the Prayer Leaders continued praying from their religious books. The answers were given in a uniform cadence, at times in the form of a fugue, at times with the base followed by the harmony.
Returning to the Church
Returning to the Church
Returning to the Church
When the procession arrived at the church they put the La Soledad in front of the altar on the right, and the Christ on the left. The candle was placed to the extreme side of each platform, and utilizing this, they lit a candle on each side of the altar. The women bowed, and the Prayer Leaders prayed a while longer. The women were singing the responses. When the prayer was over some women approach the altar and kissed it, later putting coins in the tin can on the altar. Then the president of the Church gave a speech, explaining the ceremony of Palm Sunday. The words in Spanish were “church militant,” “powerful father,” “all-powerful father,” “gringos,” “Adam and Eve,” “Jesus Christ,” and “India.”
I had the impression that the two sermons were of high quality. People paid attention fairly well. After the second sermon ended, the people left. In church not all the women covered their heads.
In the evening the masked ones came out to dance. There were 12 pairs and one “little old man.” The women were men, wearing skirts and lengths of cloth. They covered their head and chest with a shawl, and over the faces they put a mask. The masks are made from cardboard, painted, predominantly, white, red, and green.
Masked Ones
Masked Ones
Masked Ones
They represented devils with only one horn or with two horns. There were also ugly men with enormous noses. The mask of the little old man is very old, made of wood and with three strands of white hair coming from the cheeks and the chin. It is a ridiculously sad face. There is one man here who makes new masks.
The “little old man” directed the dances in front of town hall. The dances are not elaborate. It is simply dancing with a movement almost like a foxtrot. One dance that is certainly traditional, “The Dance of the Drunken Woman,” begins like the other pieces, but all at once the music slows down and the dancers grab hold of the other dancers and everyone begins to stagger, some falling to the ground. Suddenly the music speeds up and the dancers end their drunkenness and begin to dance very correctly. They repeat this four times.
The Little Old Man
The little old man, with his cane, his unsteady legs, and his crooked back, gave a very humorous performance.
The musicians played without pay--- “for fun” (“por gusto’).
About fifty people were gathered-- men, women, and young men (the majority were men)--who appreciated the efforts of the dancers with very good reception. The tone of the dances is very joyous, innocent, with none of the sordidness we saw in Tierra Blanca. [A festival witnessed early on in the period of fieldwork, before coming to San Martín.] After the dance in front of town hall everyone went to the other side of town to repeat the dance.