Walking With El Salvador

The sun slipped below the San Salvador Volcano, casting bright orange and pink streaks across the purpling sky. Mothers were gathered at the corner, chatting as their little ones zoomed around with red and yellow plastic trucks. Students began arriving home from school, trudging up the hill wearing comfy blue gym pants and white t-shirts and carrying loaded backpacks. Yessenia sat on the curb, minding her pop-up store which she sets up every afternoon in front of the church.  The church doors and windows were wide open. Cristina cut out and decorated the number 27. People sat around inside and out, chatting and sharing stories. Children worked on homework. We watched a video I had posted on YouTube from last year's anniversary celebration and laughed about Marcelino's love of fireworks. The pupusas arrived. We sat in the sanctuary in a big circle of green plastic chairs, licked salsa and curtido from our fingers, and drank hot coffee. More people arrived. Chairs were passed ou...

Happy Epiphany! In El Salvador, celebrations of the Day of the Magi Kings come with fireworks (of course) and processions . Some families, churches, political entities and community groups give gifts to children , in the way that gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh were given to the child Jesus. This is especially true during election years. Los Héroes Lutheran Church's Epiphany celebration Today's Sunday morning worship in the Lutheran Church celebrated both the Epiphany (following the twelfth day of Christmas, traditionally celebrated on January 6) and the Baptism of Jesus. Pastor Santiago's message reminded us that Epiphany means manifestation. In the presence of the star, God was made manifest to astrologers from far away lands, who were motivated to leave their homes, travel long and difficult journeys, and bring costly gifts to the Christ child. In baptism, God is made manifest in each one of us, just as God was revealed in the baptism of Jesus. As children of God,...

Día de los Difuntos - All Souls Day is a day for family.  Día de los Difuntos literally translates as Day of the Deceased, or Day of the Dead. In El Salvador, just as in the United States, some Day of the Dead traditions from Mexico have crept into local culture - especially in the commercial realm. In El Salvador, observance of the Day of the Dead is typically a quiet event. With or without sugar skulls and mariachis, the Day of the Dead is about communing with family across across the boundaries between life on earth and life in the eternal realm. In El Salvador, November 2nd is a public holiday. It is a time for families to visit their deceased loved ones in the places of their eternal rest. Long, long lines of cars and buses clog the streets near the large cemeteries.  In small towns and in the large cities, small pop-up shops filled with flowers are set up under canopies and umbrellas. Entrepreneurs take advantage of the slow traffic to sell whatever families may need for...

Día de los Santos - All Saints Day is a Christian holiday, celebrated in a variety of ways depending on theological, geographical and cultural tradition.  In our Lutheran Church community in El Salvador, this is the day on which legends are brought to life. Perhaps not your typical All Saints Day Lutheran Church photo.  This is an image of The Screaming Bride - one of the legends illustrated by live actors in the Festival of the Calabiuza  (photo used with permission from a friend) Here's a bit of old school history:  The description of a feast day in commemoration of multiple saints or martyrs can be found in writings from the early times of the church (prior to 400 C.E.).  In the late 700's C.E., Pope Gregory III is said to have dedicated a chapel in honor of all saints and martyrs on the date of November 1st, and by the 800's C.E. the Festival of All Saints is widely recognized and celebrated on this date. In medieval England, the Feast of All Saints (also kn...

While one might logically and theologically expect that a story entitled "The Lutheran Trifecta" would explore the Holy Trinity: God the Creator (Father/Mother), Son (Jesus) and Holy Spirit, that is not the subject of this writing. As October passes and November begins, Salvadoran Lutherans and many of their global siblings in faith gather in worship and tradition to celebrate the Lutheran Trifecta:  Reformation Day, All Saints Day and All Souls Day.  Reformation Day is traditionally celebrated on All Hallows Eve - October 31st - the date on which in 1517 C.E., Martin Luther supposedly nailed his notorious 95 theses to the door of the church in Wittenberg, Germany. His goal was to reform the Roman Catholic Church. His legacy, with that of other reformers, charted a new course for Christianity.  The Flat Martin pattern made its way to El Salvador several years ago, and sightings of Flat Martin have been reported in 2022. (photo by Pastor Gloria) In El Salvador, there are ...

We got up at 4 AM so we could be in the community for the celebration in the madrugada (the wee hours of the morning). Most of the people who care about this tradition are grandparents now.  Well, we are too. We arrived at about 5:30. The light was on inside the church.  The streets were quiet except for the harmonies of the chicharras, the roosters and the songbirds waking in the trees.   Back in the day, the first fireworks exploded over ramshackle rooftops at 1 AM and 2 AM, and by 3 AM, people would begin to gather at the church. The women would have been up all night stirring the chuco and the men would start making speeches interspersed with traditional music pushed into the community over a loudspeaker. By 5 AM, the party was alive with children squealing at the fireworks and sparklers. Families would huddle together in the cool morning air, dunking their pan francés into their cups of warm chuco . The pastor would pray and lead everyone in singing Las Mañanit...