Semana Santa?

Living in San Jose, Costa Rica these last 3.5 months, I have gotten used to pretty much always hearing all types of loud noises. Almost constantly, I hear car alarms, birds chirping, air brakes on trucks, fireworks, dogs barking, or all kinds of other random noises. I have actually gotten used to it so much that I don't really hear much of it anymore. Ashley will say something about a car alarm that has been going off for 10 minutes and then I will notice it. Well, this week things have been different.

It is Holy Week (Semana Santa in Spanish). Holy week starts on Palm Sunday, includes Good Friday and culminates Easter morning when Christians all over the world celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Well, in Latin American countries like Costa Rica, Semana Santa is a HUGE deal. This partly has to do with the Roman Catholic influence in these areas that has been here for a decades, even centuries. However, Semana Santa has become one of the only times of the year where the people get multiple days of work and are able to travel. 

Here in Costa Rica, the government, including all schools, is closed down all week. Thursday (today) and Friday of Semana Santa are obligatory holidays for private companies as well. This causes everything to slow down and come to pretty much a halt by today. Unfortunately, this has caused this week to become the easiest time of the year for everyone to leave their homes, go to the beach, and party for a few days (or a whole week for those who are 'blessed' to have off from work).

Here in San Jose, the feeling is something like a ghost town. It is eerily quiet. We don't hear the car alarms and the trucks. For us, it is peaceful. Since we don't have school (we finished our first trimester on Tues!), Ashley and I have a chance to relax and spend time together without all of the hustle and bustle of 'regular life' around us. We will probably only leave the house to take a walk. Pretty much everything is closed and everyone is either at home with family or at the beach. 

This sounds great, and for us it is, but in reality is it sad. It is sad that these special days have been turned into days to get drunk and party for so many people. Please pray for the people of Costa Rica (and many other countries, including Honduras) that they would understand in their hearts the meaning of Good Friday and the meaning of Easter. Praise God, that Jesus came to this world, humbled Himself beyond belief just to become a man, and went so far as to die for me and for you. And Praise God that Jesus' death was not the end of the story, but that He beat death and evil and rose again and lives now and that we now have a way to come into His presence.