Should we celebrate Easter?

It is Semana Santa, Holy week, in Honduras. Same as you would see in the United States for Spring break, schools are closed for Semana Santa and road travel is up as families vacation for the holiday.

The hospital is closed for the holiday with no clinic and no programed surgeries. Excitement was palpable this week as everyone prepared for the rest and extended weekend. On Wednesday, while struggling through a monster hernia, I tried to provide distraction for the OR team and asked Sergio (tech) what his plans were for the weekend. With a shrug he responded that he was scheduled to work at the clinic in Limeras. I made some joke about him working so much, and then turned to Carlos, who was assisting me, and asked him his plans. Carlos attends a church in Balfate, but responded that he had no plans and nothing special planned. Pondering their nonchalant responses I returned my focus to the dissection in front of me.

Thinking back to previous conversations I'd had concerning the traditions of Semana Santa here in Honduras, one came to mind. Traditionally the population flocks to the beaches where they spend the days with their families and communities. The alcohol is ubiqutous and drunkness a given. Being situated along the coast, Hospital Loma de Luz receives an abundance of trauma this week due to the packed roads, and subsequent accidents that inevitably occur. Talking with Carolien, who attends a conservative Baptist church in Balfate, she shared that her congregation does not celebrate this weekend. There is no special or significant service to celebrate Easter on Sunday. When the general population automatically associates Easter with getting drunk on the beach, they recognize that if they celebrate "Easter" it would be assumed they too would be imbibing. Therefore to distance themselves from appearance of drunkenness, no special occasion is given to Easter. "Besides," Carolien added, "we celebrate Jesus' victory over death every day, no? Not just on one day."

I recognize that not all churches or practices in Honduras are as conservative as Carolien's church. But combining her witness with the responses of Sergio and Carlos then weighing them against the general practices of the Honduran population at large, and the result produces a familiar level of anxiety. That anxiety which I've come to appreciate as created by the fact that our actions are being watched and interpreted through a cultural lens I cannot currently see through.

God bless you all this Holy Week! and a Happy Easter to everyone!

Taking advantages of empty hallways in the hospital this Semana Santa.

Look familiar? (see here) Yes, Jake is finishing up a task he started 1.5 years ago.