Religion | Thirdeyemom

The Power of Purple during Semana Santa

July 28, 2012 by thirdeyemom

For centuries, the color purple has played a significant role in the Christian religion during Holy Week surrounding Easter. The color purple along with red, black, white and gold, has an important symbolic meaning as the color of royalty and suffering. It’s significance is not a coincidence given the expense and difficulty in creating the color purple in early times. Furthermore, the color has often symbolized the suffering of Jesus Christ during the crucifixion. I had the pleasure of witnessing […]

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Categories: Antigua, BLOGGING, CULTURE, Guatemala, Religion, TRAVEL BY COUNTRY, Weekly Photo Challenge • Tags: Antigua, CULTURE, Guatemala, Holy Week, Photography, postaday, Religion, Semana Santa, thirdyemom, Travel

The big picture: Cerro de la Cruz

May 7, 2012 by thirdeyemom

“Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life.” – Jack Kerouac I woke up early Sunday morning, my last day in Antigua and in Guatemala itself, to a wonderful gift. It was sunny. I laid in bed rubbing my eyes as they slowly adjusted to a beam of light shining through the small, stained glass window above my door. Other than that beam of light, the […]

Categories: Antigua, CULTURE, Guatemala, Religion, TRAVEL BY COUNTRY • Tags: Antigua, Blogging, cerro de la cruz, CULTURE, Friendship, Guatemala, Photography, thirdeyemom, Travel

The Saint of Iglesia de San Francisco

May 2, 2012 by thirdeyemom

A strong aura filters around the ruins and church of San Francisco. Inside the sanctuary, the tomb of the only saint in all of Guatemala rests. It is believed that the powerful and humble Santo Hermano Pedro de San Jose is watching over the place in a sense. Santo Pedro was a Spanish missionary who came to Guatemala during the 17th century and was known for his commitment to fighting poverty, disease and hunger among his people. A large statue of […]

Categories: Antigua, CULTURE, Guatemala, Religion, TRAVEL BY COUNTRY • Tags: Antigua, Architecture, CULTURE, Guatemala, Iglesia de San Francisco, Religion, San Pedro, thirdeyemom, Travel

Antigua’s magnificent La Merced

April 20, 2012 by thirdeyemom

Hands down, the most beautiful church in all of Antigua and perhaps all of Guatemala is the magnificent Iglesia y Convento de Nuestra Señora de la Merced (La Merced for short). Construction began in 1548 by the Mercedery Fathers who dreamed of building a temple, yet the church suffered several setbacks due to Antigua’s infamous earthquakes which wreaked havoc and destruction throughout the city. It wasn’t for another two hundred years that the cloister and sanctuary were finally built and […]

Categories: Antigua, Architecture, CULTURE, Guatemala, Religion, TRAVEL BY COUNTRY • Tags: Antigua, Architecture, Churches, CULTURE, Guatemala, La Merced, Photography, Travel

A slice of Semana Santa

April 8, 2012 by thirdeyemom

The week of Semana Santa (“Holy Week”) is considered the most important cultural and religious event in all of Guatemala. Semana Santa has a long, rich history, which began over 400 years ago as Catholicism spread throughout Guatemala due to the Spanish Conquistadors. Today, Semana Santa can be viewed throughout all of Guatemala, however, there is no city more important during this sacred week than Antigua. It can be argued that Antigua has perhaps the largest, most traditional and famous […]

Categories: Antigua, CULTURE, Guatemala, Holidays, Religion, TRAVEL BY COUNTRY • Tags: Antigua, CULTURE, Guatemala, Holidays, Holy Week, Religion, Semana Santa, thirdeyemom, Travel

The churches of Xela

April 1, 2012 by thirdeyemom

Like most Guatemalan cities, Quetzaltenango (Xela) is centered around a large glorious Catholic church. Espiritu Santo Cathedral was founded in 1535 after the Spanish conquered the city of Xela and has remained the heart and blood of the city ever since. It is located in the parque centroamerica and can be seen well above the city from numerous vantage points. Although Guatemala is predominantly Catholic, many other religions have established themselves throughout the country thanks to missionaries. You can find […]

Categories: CULTURE, Guatemala, Religion, TRAVEL BY COUNTRY, TRAVEL RELATED RESOURCES, Xela • Tags: Churches, CULTURE, Guatemala, Religion, thirdeyemom, Travel, Xela

Embracing Family Traditions: Part 1

December 16, 2011 by thirdeyemom

The countdown begins. Only nine days until Christmas! The Christmas tree is up and decorated. The stockings are hung. The cards from friends and loved ones have started to arrive and fill up our house with joy and happiness. Parties and holiday events are plentiful. The stores are jam-packed with shoppers looking for that perfect gift. And, my children are opening their advent calendars each morning in search of small chocolate treasures. I love this time of year. The lights, […]

Categories: CULTURE, Minneapolis, Minnesota, PARENTING & FAMILY, Religion, TRAVEL BY COUNTRY, United States • Tags: CULTURE, family, Minneapolis, Minnesota, PARENTING & FAMILY, thirdeyemom, Traditions

The Lama Temple: Buddhism in Beijing

December 14, 2011 by thirdeyemom

Before visiting China, I had the amazing opportunity to hike the Annapurna Circuit trek in Nepal. As I’ve said time and time again in my blog and to family and friends, this was the one trip in my life that really touched my soul. It inspired me. It changed me. And most of all, it encouraged me to continue exploring as many far off destinations that I can possibly visit. My trip to Nepal was my first exposure to the […]

Categories: ACTIVE TRAVEL, Beijing, China, CULTURE, HUMAN RIGHTS, Religion, TRAVEL BY COUNTRY • Tags: Beijing, China, CULTURE, Lama temple, Religion, thirdeyemom, Travel

Thirdeyemom

Traveling and experiencing the world with a third-eye

Category Archives: Religion