Semana Santa

Semana Santa is Holy Week; this is week leading up to Easter. It's a big deal here in Leon, and there are processions every day, along with other festivities. Here are some pictures of the week.

This first picture is an "action shot" of the festivities outside of la Iglesia San Francisco. People are selling Eskimo ice cream, hot dog caliente, and little toys and trinkets. All of the people out and about creates a very happy, warm atmosphere.
The second picture is of some folks getting some chicha, which here in Nicaragua is a hot pink colored drink with a corn base. On this particular day, you can get some chicha for free from various people on the street or houses if you go and ask for it en el nombre de San Benito (in the name of San Benito). Usually, you either bring your own cup, or they'll serve it to you Nicaraguan style in a sandwich bag.

More Red Soft Drinks

Here are a couple of friends (Marlon on the left and Edgar in the center) and I enjoying some red soft drinks in sandwich bags. That's how drinks are often sold here in Leon. They pour it out of the glass bottle and into a baggie, tying it around a straw. They keep the bottle. It's a decent vessel for drinking a soft drink, but sometimes the straw sucks up the bottom of the bag and you have to free it in order to get the liquid flowing again. They also sell juices and flavored milks (chocolate and corn flavored, among others I believe) in sandwich bags.