Easter in Latin America

Easter is a particularly important time of the year in many Latin American countries, and if you dream of experiencing it right up close, you might like to consider an Easter holiday in Latin America.

The vast majority of the population are Catholics, and the celebration of Easter week, which symbolises the death and resurrection of Christ, is therefore very important in this part of the world.

The religious festival at Easter is actually the most important festival of the year.

In 2025, Palm Sunday falls on 13 April, and the celebration over the following week is called Semana Santa.

What is celebrated during Semana Santa?

The death and resurrection of Christ are celebrated at Easter. The week begins on Palm Sunday, just as in the UK.

Then come Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

The focal point of Easter is Jesus’ last days, his death of the cross and the resurrection.

There are many religious traditions associated with celebration, but it is, in many ways, also a public festival, where everyone is welcome.

How is Easter celebrated?

The Holy Easter week is celebrated with pomp and splendour.

Everything from religious rituals to processions with people dressed in all manner of costumes, and from Easter games to church services.

The celebration takes place on many places.

The religious rituals change from day to day, and the Easter game illustrates Jesus’ journey from the last meal to the resurrection.

But it’s not just the holiday days as we know them in the UK that are celebrated in Latin America. The entire Easter week – Semana Santa – is celebrated in style.

Although there are a number of similarities in the Easter week celebrations in Latin America, there are, as mentioned above, also unique Easter traditions in the different countries. So different experiences await you all according to where you travel to in this part of the world at Easter.

Easter traditions in Peru

All Easter days are important to the Peruvians, but one day is of particular importance: Maundy Thursday.

The day is part of the celebration in the city of Cusco, which was hit by an earthquake in 1650. The earthquake raised everything to the ground, apart from the cathedral, where the procession to remind people of the earthquake ends.

It is said that the earthquake stopped when a statue given to the country by the then Spanish king was carried out of the cathedral.

The fact that the statue stopped the earthquake was seen as a sign of God’s help to the people of the city. A statue of Christ is therefore carried through the city on this day.

Easter traditions in Colombia

Easter is something of a crowd-puller in Colombia. With around 90% of the population professing the Catholic faith, the celebration of Easter week is really quite special.

In the capital, Bogota, age-old traditions are honoured. There is a form of pilgrimage route through the city that takes you to seven different religious monuments or churches. The tradition is a religious part of the celebration in the capital and is completed to remember what Christ went through.

During the Easter celebration, the streets of Bogota’s city centre are closed to motorists, making way for pedestrians who walk from church to church. Schools and shops are closed during the holiday, but the churches are open to everyone.

Just north of the capital is the city of Zipaquirá. One of the city’s landmarks is the Salt Cathedral – a subterranean cathedral built within a salt mine, 200 m underground. The cathedral attracts a lot of people on Easter Sunday when mass is held.

Easter traditions in Brazil

Easter is a major festival in Brazil. There are different traditions according to where in the country you are, but one of the ways they celebrate Easter is with carpets, sawdust and flowers.

The Brazilians decorate the streets with the above “ingredients”. Carpets are laid in the streets and spectacular patterns are made on top of them with sawdust and flowers. A beautiful and picturesque sight.

Easter traditions in Ecuador

Easter offers several different traditions in Ecuador.

The traditional Easter dinner served is the dish fanesa, the main ingredients of which are cod, grains and beans. The dish contains 12 different types of grain, symbolising the 12 apostles.

In addition to the dinner, it is also tradition for deeply Catholic citizens to head to the city of Cuenca at Easter. The city is one of Ecuador’s most religious cities, which is why staunch Catholics like to celebrate the festival here.

Less-religious Ecuadorians also often go away during the holiday. Primarily to the beach.

Easter traditions in Argentina

Just as the Ecuadorians like to go away for Easter, so too do the Argentinians. They head away from the city in search of peace and family time.

For many British children, Easter is synonymous with an Easter egg hunt. And children in Argentina do this, too. Some hunt for Easter eggs, while others simply exchange the sinful chocolate eggs with each other.

Easter traditions in Costa Rica

An important ingredient during Easter is of a culinary nature. Easter food is an essential part of the holiday. The Costa Ricans eat fish and seafood at Easter, as well as the delicious tamales, tamal mudo.

In addition to the gastronomic part of the celebration, the procession symbolising the path from the death of Christ to the resurrection is also important in Costa Rica.

Besides the procession, La Lagarteada is a central event. The age-old tradition is a mix of Christian and Aztec culture, symbolising the crucifixion.

During La Lagarteada, a crocodile is captured on Good Friday, held captive on the town square, and then released the next day.

Easter traditions in Nicaragua

The Easter celebration in Nicaragua is a melting pot of indigenous and Spanish rituals and traditions.

The Holy Week is one of the most important religious events of the year and is celebrated accordingly.

Continuing to remember the events surrounding Christ’s death and the resurrection is extremely important to the Nicaraguan people, which is why so much is made of the celebration.

Sawdust paintings and processions are also a key part of the celebration here, and if you really want to experience Easter at its best in Nicaragua, you could travel to Granada, one of the cities where Easter is really celebrated in style.

Easter traditions in Guatemala

If you want to experience an Easter celebration in a class of its own, Guatemala is the perfect place.

Wild sculptures, fascinating processions with pictures and alfombras, which are colourful carpet paintings with flowers and sawdust, are just part of how the Guatemalans celebrate Jesus.

The country’s celebration of Easter is one of the world’s largest. The local people celebrate it along with thousands of tourists.

Want to experience Easter in Latin America?

If you are dreaming of a tour to Latin America, Easter is a unique and fascinating time to visit the continent.

Take a look at our different destinations and draw inspiration for your next holiday.

TourCompass – From tourist to traveller