Holy Week 2005 at SJA brings about many wonderful traditions to those who have been members for years, like our family. New members must find it interesting when they join in our customs. Our family participates on most of the days throughout Lent, except for the Easter Alfombra. This year I decided to join the Sister Parish group as a web photojournalist and learn about the Alfombra custom.

I knew the generalities that this was a Guatemalan tradition and we do it in solidarity with our Sister Parish. What I did not know was the intricacy of the plan and the amount of work this entailed.

I did my homework, checked out the internet, and learned that many Latin American countries have this custom. My granddaughter, who lives with us, is of Mexican-American heritage and she had never seen one. We checked out Mexico and discovered some areas do participate in this custom, but not in her region. She stated these areas were more affluent than her area. She eagerly decided to join me in our quest to learn and make an Alfombra.

In warm Latin American climates, not cold Minnesota, families design and construct carpets made of sawdust, painted sawdust, pine needles, sand, seeds, corn kernels, flowers, flower petals and whatever else comes to their mind. Construction takes place in front of their homes. They are learning about the art of carpet making just as their fathers and grandfathers did before them. The flower custom started with the Maya culture; when important dignitaries would pass by, people laid down flowers to announce their presence. The mixing of the material and into patterns is a Moorish custom that was passed on to Spain. Later Spain brought the Alfombra to Latin America. Now it has reached SJA.

After joining this group, I decided to learn all I could about how to make an Alfombra SJA style, so that maybe our family could make one. Therefore, I will be giving you systematic details, just in case you decide to make one of your own.

The first step is to decide on a logo, design, or a message you want to convey. The Sister Parish Ministry wanted a design to signify the ten-year anniversary with Tierra Nueva Dos. The finished product shows our hands joined in solidarity. The river runs between the two countries, on our side you see a cabin in the pine trees. On their side are huts among the volcanoes. Rick Nelson, along with Mary Beth and Tim Leone-Getten are the design experts.

A scaled drawing(above right) is prepared and colors decided, so that colored sawdust can be prepared. Some colors the group already had from years before. Original colors contained a wood lanolin dye mixed with the sawdust. The lanolin is now very expensive, so this year’s new colors were made using Rit dye. The process is to mix sawdust with some of the dye diluted with a small amount of water. Water amounts depend on deepness of the color desired, a greater amount of water for a lighter shade of color. All this is mixed in a big washtub using plastic gloves. After mixing occurs, it is put into open plastic bags to dry and save. Some colors do not make it from one year to the next as they rot, while others do make it. Mindy Ahler-Olmstead is the sawdust dye expert.

Large pieces of heavy cardboard are used for pattern pieces. The skill of pattern dimensions is achieved by using an overhead projector shining the design onto the wall, while others held up the cardboard and still others drawing the pattern onto the cardboard. The entire process is a group, or as we say at SJA, collaborative effort. Rick Nelson(far right, with Tim Getten), Señor Alfombra as he is called, is the engineer of it all.

Volunteers arrived with box cutters, exacto knives, and duct tape to use in the process of cutting the pieces of cardboard into pattern styles. Pieces taped back together with their cutouts are returned to the storage box, so they will be ready when sawdust time arrives on Saturday. Tim, Rick, and Mindy were the experts of job production and sanity among us.

Saturday at 10:00 AM construction of the 8 x 10 frame began for the Alfombra. A layer of rough sawdust covers the cement of the sidewalk to make the first of many layers. Then a layer of blue sawdust sifted through the sifting boxes for the sky. A ladder placed across the frame was used for people to sit, stretch, lie or assume whatever pose was needed to get the job done.

Using the cardboard templates, colors are sifted into the open area. Various seeds, black beans, corn, white beans, lentils are added to provide a texture contrast. This year, glittery sparkles were going to make their debut.

Many children participated in the Alfombra construction. Amazing was their agility and ability to work right along with the adults. They are the future and one day will be the ones making the Alfombra. They already seemed to understand the process. People came and went through out the day, some just visiting while offering cheer and moral support, others lending a helping hand when needed.

Next came a layer of grass (green). Constant misting is necessary to keep the sawdust from blowing around. This becomes especially important as new colors are added. Watering consisted of a tank with a mist sprayer and a small misting bottle. There was a brisk breeze at different times, so misting was a constant job for someone. After the top layer of sky and grass were completed, the cardboard pattern pieces came out of their box to start the scene.

While the cardboard pieces were being assembled the boys took off for a fun break of playing in a 'snow blizzard' (right with Doug Lohman, maintenance director).

The cardboard hands were laid carefully on the sawdust. One hand cutout made a white hand, and then covered while sifting of the brown onto the other. Covering one section at a time assures that the colors will not bleed onto other colors. The bottles of water brought for volunteers to consume became weights to hold the pattern into place. The joined arms represent Tierra Nueva Dos and SJA.

Next came the volcanoes on the Guatemala side and the dark blue river running down representing the river between our two countries. Sparkles joined the blue water to have it glistening in the sun. The curved river will also be the S when words join the scene.

Even adults take play breaks. During this break, Joel crowned my granddaughter, Vicki “The Princess”, using the pattern for the sun. Back to work, in the upper right corner the sun came out. Sparkles topped it off. Tim and Mary Beth took a moment to stand back and check out all of the details.

Playtime for the young girls became a work site for their decision to make their own Alfombra. After lots of hard work, this(below) was their final product. Beautiful, isn’t it?

Outlining the patterns started with the river using beans, then the cabin and pine trees on the US side and the huts on the Guatemalan side. Outlining with beans becomes a very delicate job. Putting one in a wrong spot meant moving the sawdust and messing up that spot. Jenny was able to produce a tweezers, a very valuable tool. She became the hero of outlining.

The purple border with cracked corn stars added to the design. Adding the letters was the last step. Each letter filled with beans made out the Spanish words of our 10-year anniversary of the Sister Parish and our solidarity with them.

Final touches continued with beans outlining many of the figures, grass added on the lower part of the volcanoes, and to the huts. An outline of the cabin started with the chimney and ended up the whole cabin, plus using other beans to make logs as it was suppose to represent a log cabin. One thing led to another, with everyone’s creative ideas, we reached a point wondering if it would ever end. Finally it did after one more addition. Creative differences loomed at the very end over the volcanoes; should they be erupting? It was not in the design, but the artist of the design trumped everyone’s vote and added fire on one volcano, adding greatly to the design, we all agreed at this point.

It was 5:00 PM and all was done. I took a photo of the completed Alfombra and then a group shot of the workers still in attendance. All were happy to leave as the sun had turned to clouds and the wind picked up making it very chilly.

It was a great journey. I learned many things about the people I worked with, about Latin American customs, the actual art of carpet making and most of all about the season of hope. Looking at the beauty of the completed Alfombra, how can one not see the beauty and hope in this world.

I hope to make an Alfombra, albeit a smaller one, with family and friends this summer. Won’t you join me?

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Nancy Lynch says, "Joy is being a wife, Mom of fourteen, eight with varying disabilities and living at home, Grandma of thirteen, and Great Grandma of three. Serenity is listening and watching the ocean, alone, at our home on Maui. Passion is friends, photography, reading, swimming and children." Nancy can be reached at nalynch@aol.com.