Hispanics cherish family traditions of Easter

DALLAS -- Guadalupe Tristan laughs as she recalls that she was 30 before she heard of the Easter Bunny.

That's because for Tristan -- like many Latin American immigrants and their descendants -- the focus of the season is not a celebration of candy, colored eggs and rabbits on Easter Sunday, but devotion to prayer, fasting and remembrance of Jesus' sacrifice throughout Holy Week.

For Hispanics, Holy Week is one of the most sacred times of the year, with virtually all work and activity ceasing on Holy Thursday and Good Friday in their native countries.

The tradition stems from Latino culture's roots in Spain, where the week is a major religious observance.

In fact, the week that begins with Palm Sunday -- marking Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem -- is not only known as "Semana Santa" (Holy Week) but also "Semana Mayor" (the main or major week).

"For us it was a very spiritual time," said Tristan, 79, who grew up in the village of Mineral de la Paz in the Mexican state of San Luis Potosi. "From Holy Thursday all the way through Saturday, there was no music or radio in our house. Of course, we didn't have television back then. We went to church and prayed."

Tristan, now a member of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Community in Dallas, remembers that some people would even cover all mirrors in their homes, to remind themselves that the focus of the week was on prayer, not vanity.

Despite time and distance, and a new culture in the United States, many Hispanics still strive to keep alive the traditions they consider special.

"For many of us, this is both a memorial to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who gave up his life for us, but also a reminder of the salvation we have had because of that sacrifice," said the Rev. Domingo Romero, pastor of Our Lady of San Juan de los Lagos-Santa Teresita Church in West Dallas. Gloria Cruz, another member of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, noted that the observance allows devout Catholics to honor not just Jesus but also Mary and the loss she suffered.

"It is a very beautiful and important tradition that many of us still try our best to continue," Cruz said. "For us, Lent is celebrated with traditions and customs that go back as far as we can remember. Perhaps one day we'll understand how and why he [Jesus] gave so much for us."

It is a time, she said, not just of prayer and church services, but also to recall special foods that are prevalent during Holy Week -- when some Catholics fast or abstain from eating meat.

Lent, for many, brings memories of foods like camarones (dried shrimp patties), nopalitos (cactus pads), capirotada (a bread pudding-like dessert), and the aptly named lentils.

Palm Sunday, the start of Holy Week, is a day that Cruz said is one of those not-to-be-missed church days.

"It's kind of like Ash Wednesday. Even though we know it's not true, but we feel that if you don't go to church on Ash Wednesday and Palm Sunday, that's one of the biggest sins you can commit," Cruz said.

As Holy Week approaches, Tereso Ortiz prepares to once again return to his hometown of Ocampo, in the Mexican state of Guanajuato.

Ortiz, a longtime resident of Dallas, still tries to get home often, especially at this time of the year.

"It was and still is for me something very special," said Ortiz, president of Casa Guanajuato, a Dallas organization that seeks to promote cultural and political awareness among immigrants.

When he was a child, he said, the solemn Holy Week observation began at noon Wednesday. That was when all business activity stopped. Residents of small towns and villages throughout Mexico began to focus on prayer and the Crucifixion.

Alicia De Leon, a member of St. Cecilia Catholic Church in north Oak Cliff, Texas, recalled that her mother would cook the special Lenten foods early in the week so she wouldn't have to be in the kitchen on Holy Thursday or Good Friday.

"Those were days for prayer," De Leon said. "My grandmother would take all of us children to church, every day. She would even just get us to get on our knees at the house and just start praying."

Many communities staged elaborate processions, with residents carrying statues of saints and Jesus through the streets and re-enacting the last hours of Christ's life. Today, many churches throughout North Texas continue the re-enactments.

At Our Lady of Perpetual Help, the congregation's youth group has re-enacted the Stations of the Cross for more than 20 years.

"I think it brings to life, the pain and suffering Jesus went through and that he continues to suffer because of our sinful ways," said Carlos Dominguez, 26, one of the group leaders. "A lot of people cry as they see it because they realize what Jesus went through for them."

About 30 people, including teenagers and adults, take part in the re-enactment, which is staged outside the church. In past years, crowds of more than 500 people have viewed their presentation.

Cesar Tolentino, 26, another youth group leader, said it's important for young people of the church not only to see the Passion play but to participate in it, as a way of maintaining the community's traditions.

"There are so many distractions for young people today, from music to violence to sex, that this play gives them an opportunity to focus on Jesus," Tolentino said. "For many it has a great impact on them."

De Leon and others mentioned that while the traditions continue in Dallas, they're on a much smaller scale.

On Maundy Thursday, the faithful flock to churches to recall the Last Supper. Most churches also still observe the tradition of the washing of the feet, which represents Jesus washing the feet of his disciples at that final meal.

Good Friday is one of the most sacred days, with churches re-enacting Jesus' walk to his death. Many also conduct a pesame, a special devotion in which condolences are offered to Mary for the loss of her child.

And on Saturday many will hold vigils in darkened sanctuaries, waiting for midnight, when special Masses will welcome the Resurrection.

Easter Sunday is a big family day for Hispanics, with children smashing eggshells filled with confetti on each other's heads.

Even in Latin America, not all of the Holy Week observances are religious. For many, the week is an unofficial spring break. Cities are noticeably less crowded, as residents head to beaches or other resort locations.

Father Romero of Our Lady of San Juan said his church tries hard to preserve the Hispanic Holy Week traditions.

"But here it is difficult because of the importance of work," he said. "Here it is very important to continue working, so people cannot take the time to participate in many of the events during Holy Week, like they did back in their little villages."

Tristan said she still makes a point to cook the old foods during Holy Week and to attend the week's special events at Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

She said she feels sorry for young people who haven't experienced the kind of devotion she saw in her village.

"I feel the young people miss a lot," Tristan said. "I try to talk to my children and tell them what it was like."

De Leon said she, too, is saddened to see that Holy Week is not as big an observance in the United States as it was in her hometown in Mexico.

"Today it's more about getting new clothes for Sunday and about the Easter Bunny," she said.