Good Friday in Honduras

April 13, 2026

Joy and Art Merge in a Solemn Ceremony

By Jo Ann Van Engen

Two weeks ago, on Friday afternoon Kurt and I headed to downtown Tegucigalpa to watch the creation of dozens of colorful “alfombras” being laid for the Good Friday processionals.

We make this Good Friday trek every year and I love everything about it—the people of all ages kneeling side by side pressing colorful layers of sawdust onto stencils; the spectators pointing out their favorites while walking carefully along the edge, the hum of Central Park where families pause for a bite to eat, a trinket or a quiet prayer in the Cathedral. The atmosphere is permeated with joy.

2025 was not an easy year in Honduras. The presidential elections on November 30 were peaceful but quickly devolved into two months of anxious waiting as votes were counted and re-counted and politicians accused each other of fraud. And that turmoil added to the daily worries of rising prices, lack of jobs and the looming threat of deportation of family members from the US. People could be forgiven for not being in the mood to celebrate.

But, despite these very real crises and the solemnity of what Good Friday represents, the streets downtown reverberated with laughter and creativity. The artists participated in making carpets in part because this liturgical tradition is important to them, but I think it goes beyond that.

Slide title

Write your caption here

Button
Slide title

Write your caption here

Button
Slide title

Write your caption here

Button
Slide title

Write your caption here

Button

I think the decision to make art, even when that art will last only a few hours before being trampled underfoot, is a decision to practice joy not in spite of but because life is so often messy and painful.

I want to get better at practicing joy. I think I have felt that it is inappropriate when so many bad things are happening around me. But I’m figuring out that it isn’t wrong to seek joy when the world is hurting. It’s a practice that keeps us moving forward even when it seems impossible.