Purple People! - Cucuruchos!

For me, Good Friday usually means a day off and sometimes going to church if I'm feeling virtuous. This year I was fortunate enough to be in Quito for the Good Friday procession in which hundreds (even around a thousand maybe) of Catholics demonstrated their repentance by donning purple costumes and walking barefoot along a predetermined route within the Centro Histórico for hours on end. This tradition dates back to soon after Quito became a Spanish colony in the 16th century and is most definitely one of the most surreal things I've ever seen!

The procession begins at the front entrance of the Iglesia de San Francisco where all the participants file out of the church and into the streets.

Police and security presented a heavy united front.

Carrie, Jonathan, and I decided to peek inside the Iglesia de San Francisco since we had some time to kill before the procession. We spied groups of good Catholics visiting the stations of the cross and praying at each one.

All of the human figures' faces hid behind the traditional purple Lenten cloths.

Inside the church, preparations were reaching the final touch phase as the figures of Jesus and Mary sat poised and ready for the procession.

A cucurucho posing for pictures offered a minuscule glimpse of what was to come. (I thought it rather indicative of childhood innocence that the small boy to the left should be perched atop an instrument of execution and remain so nonchalant about it.)

Carrie, Jonathan, and I met up with the rest of our Good Friday crew at Juan Carlos' spectacular home situated in the south of the Plaza de San Francisco. These balconies provided the best vantage points from which to observe the procession. I love having connections! ;)

Me and the boys: Juan Carlos and Pablo

The plaza de San Francisco was slowly acquiring more and more visitors. Pretty soon it was near impossible to move through the plaza as it became saturated with anxious spectators.

The procession started early this year and began with an oral reenactment of the sentencing of Jesus by Pontius Pilate. Purple-clad cucuruchos began to file out of the church around 11 a.m. and didn't stop pouring out of the main entrance of the church until an hour later. Cucuruchos are people who dress in purple robes and purple cone hats (frighteningly reminiscent of the KKK) who walk in the procession to repent for their sins and prepare themselves for Jesus' resurrection on Easter. Some wore complete costumes while others were shirtless and many were barefoot. I was astounded by the sheer number of willing participants.

We were so lucky to be able to watch the procession from Juan Carlos' home. It was the perfect way to view the event! Thanks again, JC!

Roman soldiers escorting Jesus.

Cucuruchos were mostly violet, but a couple different hues popped up every now and then.

Religious figurines and images accompanied countless faithful followers.

My stomach turned a bit to see the little ones involved. It's one thing to be an adult and make a conscious decision to walk barefoot for 4 hours in the oppressive heat (or torrential rain at one point); but it's approaching child abuse when you force your child to do the same (especially if they're wearing thorns or barbed wire on their heads like the young bo below!).

I'm pretty sure this is not fake vampire blood from Halloween since a crown of barbed wire was attached to this teenager's head.

So little!!!

Dios ilumina mi corazon para cumplir tu santo mandamio?. ~ God illuminates my heart to fulfill/complete His (your?) holy commandments?. (Not sure about the last word or why he chose tu instead of su...)

Las Verónicas followed the cucuruchos shrouded in purple veils and praying together. (Veronica wiped the face of Jesus and an impression of his face remained on the cloth.)

A stream of purple flowing through the streets.

Mary might need to go on a diet as she was around 300 pounds according to Juan Carlos' sister-in-law.

Jesus leaving the Iglesia de San Francisco.

People threw rose petals as Jesus passed. Hundreds of people pushed and shoved their way to get close to Jesus to ask him to heal them or to hear their prayers.

Juan Carlos' niece was the cutest thing! She handed us rose petals (which were also used in the house blessing ceremony I attended) to toss toward Jesus as he passed by in his glass case.

Balloons were released as the end of the procession left the plaza. The pigeons were a bit confused.

When the procession returned to the plaza, participants were tired, hot, and dehydrated. Some people wore makeshift shoes to protect their aching and blistered feet.

A few people carried branches or leather whips for self-flagellation purposes.

The silvery metallic coneheads were perhaps the strangest to behold.

Eerie

We saw some gentlemen who had wrapped their torsos tightly with barbed wire! (Jonathan and Carrie saw people with cacti strapped to their backs, too!) There's still a bit of contention as to whether or not the blood trickling down participants' faces and bodies was real or not. Sometimes it looked a bit fake (see above), but other times far from it (below).

People applauded when St. John the Baptist returned to the plaza.

St. John has a bit of 5 o'clock shadow!

A sea of umbrellas that, for most of the procession, had been used as protection from the hot sun, but quickly turned to protection from a brief deluge.

We were able to watch the downpour from the comfort of Juan Carlos' gorgeous office.

How very poetic that a rainbow should appear on Good Friday.

I am somewhat glad that plans to go to the beach this weekend didn't exactly work out. I don't think I'll have another opportunity to view something like this for a very long time. In spite of the mixed feelings I experienced as an observer of this ritual, I am glad I was able to unravel the mystery of the purple KKK-like figurines I spied in a souvenir shop during my first few days in Quito.