News & Views

Holidays Around the World: Semana Santa

Tamales are traditionally eaten when families gather together to celebrate Semana Santa.

As part of HIAS PA’s “Holidays Around the World” series, we are exploring holidays which are celebrated widely around the world, but which might not be as well-known in the United States. This month, Natali, a HIAS PA client, is here to teach us about how her family celebrates Semana Santa, also known as Holy Week, in El Salvador and in the US.

What is Semana Santa, or Holy Week?

Semana Santa, also known as Holy Week, which culminates in Easter, is an important Catholic holiday that is celebrated worldwide, especially in predominantly Catholic countries such as El Salvador, Spain, Colombia, Mexico, and more. Semana Santa takes place over the Thursday, Friday, and Saturday before Easter. 

How do you celebrate Semana Santa?

During Holy Week, families gather together for special meals, go to church for Easter vigils and mass, and create spectacular alfombras, or rug-like displays made with flowers, in the street. There are parades where we reenact Jesus on the cross and the revival of Christ. We also attend the Vigilia Pascual, or the “Easter Vigil”, at dawn, led by the priest in our local Catholic church. Semana Santa is about more than just loving Christ–it is about feeling the spirit in your heart and giving thanks for our salvation.

During Semana Santa, we eat jocotes con miel (fruits with honey), mangos con miel, achate or calabaza con dulce de atado (candied squash), and tamales pisques, which are tamales with beans; some contain chiles de árbol, but my family prefers tamales with elote, or corn.

In my family, my grandmother customarily makes atol de elote, a sweet corn drink that is very popular in El Salvador. She also prepares tamales pisques–one of my favorite memories is of being with my grandmother as she prepared her tamales during one Semana Santa when it was only us living together, since the rest of my family had already immigrated to the United States.

The Easter procession is recreated during Semana Santa.

Jocotes are fruits from the cashew tree. El Salvadorans typically eat jocotes con miel, fruits with honey, during their Holy Week celebrations.

How do people celebrate in the US?

We don’t usually celebrate Semana Santa in the United States like we do in El Salvador because we’re very far from our family, but we always make atol de elote and buy or make food to celebrate. This is my favorite part of the holiday – being together as a family as we eat and enjoy the time of rest.

An alfombra is a rug which is created in the street using flowers during Semana Santa.

We are grateful to Natali for sharing about Semana Santa! Look out for next month’s “Holidays Around the World” and learn more about the holidays that hold great importance to the immigrants we serve.

TONIGHT (4/20) - Join us ONLINE at the 2023 Golden Door Awards!

Join us ONLINE at 6:45PM TONIGHT, Thursday, April 20th, for HIAS PA's 2023 Golden Door Awards: United for Immigrants!

Happy Passover from HIAS Pennsylvania!HIAS PA is closed in observance of the Jewish holiday of Passover

HIAS Pennsylvania will be closed in observance of the Jewish holiday of Passover from 1PM on Wednesday, April 5th through Friday, April 7th, and on Wednesday, April 12th and Thursday, April 13th.

Join us at the 2023 Golden Door Awards!United for Immigrants

The Golden Door Awards is HIAS Pennsylvania's annual fundraiser. Your generous support helps us serve low-income immigrants from all over the world as they build new lives in our community.

Building closed until further noticeHIAS PA remains open!

HIAS PA’s physical offices at 600 Chestnut Street are CLOSED until further notice due to a burst pipe in the building.

Our organization remains open, and HIAS PA staff continue to work remotely at this time.

Please call (215) 832-0900 with any questions.

Building closed until further noticeHIAS PA remains open!

HIAS PA’s physical offices at 600 Chestnut Street are CLOSED until further notice due to a burst pipe in the building.

Our organization remains open, and HIAS PA staff continue to work remotely at this time.

Please call (215) 832-0900 with any questions.

TONIGHT: Join us at the table!Join us for Thankful Together!

Thankful Together, formerly known as Refugee Thanksgiving, is happening TONIGHT at 6PM!

Register here to join us tonight: https://hiaspa1.wpengine.com/event/thankful-together-2021/

Celebrate our volunteers who make this all possible!Click here at 11:45AM to join our Annual Meeting!

Click here to join our virtual Annual Meeting!

The Annual Meeting starts at noon, but join us at 11:45AM for an informal chat before the event!

POSTPONED! Speed Advocacy: Afghanistan

Today's Speed Advocacy: Afghanistan Facebook Live event has been postponed due to a worldwide Facebook outage. We will update you as soon as possible about rescheduling the event.