Holy Week

The first three days of Holy Week my Mother would clean, cook, do laundry, iron and shop. She always said that all the work had to be done by Thursday because Thursday and Friday were very important and sacred days in the church. On Holy Thursday and Good Friday we went to services at Our Lady of Peace Church. We would walk about eleven blocks to attend services. I remember on Thursday priests would stretch out on the floor, there would be the blessing of holy oil, some of the priests would get their feet washed, the incense burning made me nauseous and for the Stations of the Cross we would stand and kneel at all the stations while reciting prayers. Friday there was no mass but around three o'clock, the hour when Christ was crucified, there would be a long and emotional observance of Christ's last words, usually around 3 p.m.

The choir would sing the haunting hymn of "Were You There, When They Crucified My Lord?" To this day, the words of that song sadden me when I hear it.

Since there was no cooking on those holy days, my great-aunt, Tia Lala who lived across the street, and my Mother would trade dishes they had prepared at the beginning of the week. My Mother made a delicious bread pudding with cinnamon, brown sugar,  toasted bread, raisins, and cheese that made the kitchen smell good. There were probably other ingredients but I only remember the ones I have mentioned.  My great-aunt would prepare a tomato macaroni and cheese that I loved. Even though I have not perfected my great-aunt's dish, my grandchildren also love that dish. A rice pudding was traded for a jello salad or a fish and noodle dish exchanged for Lentil soup.  During those two day we could not listen to music. We fasted. I gave up chocolate. We prayed. We spent many hours in church. These are my early memories of lent.

In those days, Saturday was called El Sabado Glorioso (Glorious Saturday) and a dance was held on Saturday night. It seemed as if all of the Hispanic community looked forward to Holy Saturday because Lent was considered over.  Later, possibly after Vatican II, Saturday was included in the Easter celebration with a mass beginning on Saturday evening. Easter mass would be an array of new clothing and fancy straw hats in pastel colors.

 One Easter my mother wore an organza dress of lavender with small purple flowers. She wore a wide brimmed hat and Cuban heeled shoes and I knew she was the most beautiful mother in the world. For Easter Sunday my Dad dragged out his one and only navy suit. I wondered why the church got so crowded on Easter Sunday and later learned that there are many who go to mass only on Easter, Christmas, to get married or to be buried!

The picture on the left was taken on Easter in 1968. Dad is holding Barbara, (she is holding her Easter basket), Mom is in the middle, I am on the right and Andy is in front of my Mom.

Easter Sunday was a day for celebrating.  My mother made sure to buy chocolate candy, orange slices and coconut macaroons at the Woolworth candy counter and I could eat all the chocolate I wanted.  My mother would put on a cotton apron and fix dinner. I remember she made patties out of mashed potatoes, dipped them in egg and fried them but I do not remember if there was a special dinner. Sometimes my paternal grandmother and aunt would come visit. Other times we visited my mother's siblings who lived in Kersey, Colorado.  This was an outing to the country about seven miles away but to me it seemed as if we traveled a long way!

Later, after my children were born, my mother continued making Easter a happy occasion. She enjoyed buying them outfits to wear for Easter.  Aside from the holiness of the holiday, she entered the role of the Easter bunny and hid eggs in her yard for my children to find. When they got older, she hid money in plastic eggs for them to find.  And of course, she always bought me chocolate candy!

Basically, the rites are the same as when I was growing up except that the church now makes everything more interesting with parishioner participation. Some services that have made an impression on me were when the washing of the feet included all the church members. It was a long procession with one shoeless foot! The Passion of Our Lord, with cymbals and drums made the reading more realistic. Having five readers portray the different characters in the Passion was like watching a play.  Participation of the congregation when they play the part of the "crowd" is quite moving. I have been handed a nail and walked down to a large wooden cross to hammer the nail into the cross.  I have to agree with my Mother when she said, "Jueves y Viernes de Semana Santa son dias muy importantes y sagrados." (Thursday and Friday of Holy Week are very important and sacred days.)

Lily arrangement taken from the internet.