Easter in Belize: Alfombras

Holy week is busy in Belize, full of processions and services.  I like to go into town on Good Friday morning to see the Alfombras.    These are brightly colored "carpets" made from saw dust-- a tradition that has come from across the border in Guatemala

A bottom layer of sawdust is dampened and then tamped down

brightly died sawdust is sprinkled onto stencils

The neat part about this is people from all faiths and backgrounds participate.  Some scary looking guys with tattoos all over were working on really elaborate designs next to a group of youth group kids whose design simply said Peace.  People work for hours together in the hot sun.

Then later that day, the processions walk over the Alfombras

and they are brushed away.