Carpets Made for a Day
By “Awake!” correspondent in El Salvador
THE carpets with which people are best acquainted are those that they have in their homes, rugs that they hope will last a long time. But there are carpets every bit as beautiful in color and design that are made for just a day. The materials from which these are made are unusual, and those who work on them receive no wages. Consider the occasion for which these carpets are made.
The setting is a town in El Salvador, Central America, where, each year during the Lenten season, the entire populace watches the traditional religious activities of those who represent the Catholic religion. The day is what they call “viernes santo” or “Holy Friday.” This is the day when, as many of the people view matters, Jesus the Nazarene is to walk the streets of their town. No, it is not done literally, but, as the sacred image of the Martyr of Golgotha is carried through the streets of the town, to many of the more fervent believers it is as though Jesus himself were walking among them.
In preparation for this procession, much work is done. From early hours of the day many of the people rake up trash from the streets, sweeping them as clean as possible and preparing themselves for the real work of the day—carpetmaking. The material for their rugs consists of sawdust, sand, the flower of a certain type of palm, flour, salt, fruit, flowers, seashells and many other objects too numerous to mention. The gathering of this material has taken time and thought. From these objects the rugmakers form colorful patterns by which they desire to reflect their love and feelings for the things of God. As the day moves on, these colorful creations take form in the center of the streets. The usually plain streets are transformed into a display of color striking to the eye wherever it turns. Hours of hard work in the heat of the sun have brought the desired result, and each family stand back and view their work with a sense of gratification.
At the hour set, there is a buzzing of activity in front of the central church where the procession is to begin. Here we see a group of men dressed in tunics colored a reddish purple, with towels, large handkerchiefs and cords for their tunics. These distinctive signs mark them as members of the brotherhood of Jesus the Nazarene, an organization that each year transports the image from one place to another. The solemnity that we encounter here is noteworthy. Hundreds of faithful Catholics are on hand for the procession. The image is hoisted to the shoulders of the men in the tunics, the noise of wooden rattles echoes through the air, the sad mournful marches executed by the band join in, and the crowd of people, young and old, with rosaries in their hands, begin repeating the Lord’s Prayer and the Ave Maria over and over again.
But what of the carpets made especially for this occasion? Jesus himself is said to have stepped upon them as the procession travels over one after another. The lifetime of the carpets has ended. Nothing is left but traces of the color and beauty that had existed a few hours before. While many feel that this is too much work to do for such a short time, the people here do not share their feelings. This is their sacrifice for this time of year, and to them it is well worth the energy that goes into the carpetmaking.
No doubt many of these people are sincere in their efforts to worship God. But to please God it is important to listen to what his Word says about worship. Rather than encouraging one to join in such religious processions that feature an image of Jesus or of one of the “saints,” it urges us: “Guard yourselves from idols.” (1 John 5:21) In language that is easy to understand, the Catholic Jerusalem Bible says: “The temple of God has no common ground with idols . . . come away from them and keep aloof, says the Lord.” (2 Cor. 6:16, 17) Jesus Christ himself, in whose name the people here in El Salvador hold their festival, tells us what is acceptable to God when he says: ‘Those worshiping God must worship with spirit and truth.’ (John 4:24) The happy prospects for those who do this are that they may enjoy the works of their hands, not just for a day, but forever, because God holds out to such persons the prospect of living forever.—1 John 2:17; John 3:16.