Walking With El Salvador

When I was growing up, our Lutheran church celebrated Maundy Thursday (or Holy Thursday) with a focus on the Last Supper, and fifth graders received their first communion. Our kids remember Maundy Thursday as the night when Pastor Dave closed the Bible with a loud slam. The altar was stripped and we walked out in silence. For several years, our Milwaukee Church did something we called Family Camp during Holy Week, which included worship, art and outdoor activities instead of traditional worship on Holy Thursday and Good Friday. A Holy Week tradition for families in the Lutheran Church in Los Héroes is to gather at the church on Holy Thursday for an informal devotional with singing, scripture reading and the lavatorio de pies - foot washing. Folks sit in a big circle, and the pastors wash everyone's feet in the same way that Jesus washed his disciples' feet during the Last Supper. In our relationship as sister churches, we have a catch-phrase: better together. One way in which w...

The other day, someone asked me what I love about El Salvador. I thought for a moment, then answered with a story... At the end of January, my father-in-law and two of my brothers-in-law came to visit. For 25 years they have heard stories about El Salvador, and they were curious to see things for themselves and understand why we spend so much time here.  We planned a short trip, complete with a history day, a volcano day, a coast day and a day with our church community. My father-in-law, Papá Roberto (as we call him here), is an elder. He'll be 90 this year. For us, this produced a little bit of stress because El Salvador isn't exactly known for it's smooth sidewalks and accessible locations. And, there is always the chance of tummy trouble. We chose our destinations carefully and hired a trusted driver so my husband and I could more fully enjoy the longer excursions.  Sunday was our church community day. The Los Héroes hills are a little steep for doing a walking-tour, s...

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 ...

May Day - International Workers' Day In El Salvador, as in much of the world, May 1st is a holiday which celebrates workers.  Labor Day or Día del Trabajo  is a paid holiday.  Workers and union activists often hold rallies and marches through the streets on this day. May 3rd - The Day of the Cross The Day of the Cross is primarily celebrated in home gardens and in small church ceremonies, and while some towns have grand festivals on May 3rd, the date is not an official or paid holiday.  The tradition of honoring the Day of the Cross is rooted in a Roman Catholic belief (or legend) about the recovery of the Cross of Christ.  During the third century, Saint Helen claimed to have discovered a piece of the cross of Christ during the construction of a church on the hill of Golgotha outside of Jerusalem. There was a story about the preservation of the cross, which had been divided into 3 pieces following the crucifixion of Jesus, with one piece having been sent to Rom...

Welcome to April, the month which typically brings Salvadorans a little change in the weather and the beginning of the planting season. In San Salvador, the month of April has an average of 6 days with rain showers compared to 1 day in March, and one can enjoy a slight cooling in the average daytime temperatures from 90˚F to 89˚F.  It is perfect weather for a trip to the beach, which is a common way for Salvadorans to celebrate la semana santa (Holy Week), which often falls in April. Back in the  March edition of Get to Know the Holidays , I included a little story about Palm Sunday, which is the start of Holy Week and as we know, has a variable date in the calendar.  A few years ago, I did a Holy Week series which also included a little more information about  Palm Sunday , so for this holiday series, let's begin the month of April with the holy days following Palm Sunday. Holy Thursday Holy Thursday is an official (paid) holiday in El Salvador, at least for workers...

  This is one of the messages I received this morning: February 14th St. Valentine's Day To all my friends and family Have a very beautiful day of Friendship I love you a lot! ¡Feliz día de Amor! ¡Feliz día de Amistad! Happy Day of Love and Friendship!  I believe I have mentioned before just how wonderful Salvadorans are at sending memes and gifs of encouragement via social media on just any old day of the week, but during February, the messaging goes to a whole new level.  For Salvadorans, the entire month of February is a time for the color red, hearts, flowers, and surprise gifts. Take a look in any Salvadoran kitchen, and you will likely find some coffee mugs which were filled with some treats or a little stuffed bear and wrapped in clear cellophane with pink hearts on it and tied up with a big pink bow.  This is a pretty great and practical tradition.   Here's a pic of some of my mugs.  That little one is from my first February visit in El Salvador in ...