Devotion
Pallbearer #75 at the Dia de Los Muertos procession in Antigua, Guatemala.
For a usually noisy street - the tones were hushed and the mood solemn as the procession made its way up the street to the Cathedral La Mecred. There wasn’t the noisy fanfare of a usual parade, rather it was marked with groups of devotees leading a massive casket with the depiction of suffering Christ on the top of the casket. It takes over 100 people to carry the casket up the street, and groups of people take turns serving as pallbearers for this procession. They are dressed in their sects historical garments, reflecting the tradition of Christianity from which they originate.
The procession commemorates those that have died and is a time to reflect on all those people that no longer grace our lives. As such it evokes a lot of emotion, and those that participate are honoured to be selected because of the ability to participate in the communal remembrance of those who have died.
What captured my attention was the eyes of the pallbearer in position #75. The gaze compels you to consider the object of the devotion. The entire time that he walked by his eyes were elevated in the general direction of the figure of Christ on top of the casket.
Broadening it out, you actually see four different facial representations depicting the response the solemnity of this event. The closed eyes of reflection in position 73, the innocent eyes of #77, and the weary look of #79 all contribute to wide human response to grief and a reflection on sorrow.
The death of a loved one leaves us feeling helpless. We’re not sure what we can do. There isn’t much to “help” with other than making sure that everyone gets fed. Part of funeral rites is there for us to feel like we are able to do something for the person that we have loved.
This photo also reminds me that everyone goes through grief uniquely. Just like the four faces provide us four different faces of grief, so we recognize that we all process grief in our own way, and as a result need to leave room for grief to be processed in due time with each person.
