Semana Santa Alangasi and Quito
Just outside of Quito in a lovely valley is a small town called Alangasi where Easter is celebrated with devil masks and a crucifixion ceremony. Alangasi is a small village with a beautiful church as its centrepiece. The wise men are depicted by short men wearing very tall hats strapped to them to save them from toppling over. The devil is depicted by devilish costumes in black and red and horrendous masks. The devils take great delight in showing you naughty photos and naughty behaviour whenever possible. First the ceremony where Christ is judged and crucified then a procession to the church where Jesus carries his cross prodded by the roman soldiers and followed by Ruth Naomi, shepherds and wise men and the devils prancing behind. The celebrations carry on into the night.
Quito is horrendously overcrowded with the Semana Santa celebrations. Pickpocketing is rife. There is a service in the San Francisco church and the procession starts from there. Men in long purple robes wearing purple pointed headdresses which cover their head to their neck with slits for the eyes reminiscent of Klu Klux Klan but in Royal purple. Some walk in chains and some carry heavy wooden crosses while others wear barbed wire across their breasts. The women wear purple or lilac veils and dresses down to their ankles. All march from Plaza de San Francisco to the Cathedral and back to the Plaza again. The ceremony is a silent but colourful worship of Easter.
