Life in the Times of Coronavirus: Lockdown Day 30

Today is Easter Sunday. After living in a largely Catholic country for nearly 10 years, I’ve come to recognize the traditional hallmarks of Holy Week in Catalonia. On Palm Sunday, there is a procession through the Gothic Quarter in Barcelona called La Burreta (“Little Donkey”) which commemorates Christ’s entry to Jerusalem. Deep-fried dough balls called bunyols are stacked high at every bakery in sight. On Good Friday, the Sant Martí church in Cerdanyola march in solemn procession through the streets of our town, images of Christ and the Virgin Mary resting on the shoulders devotees. The nazarenos, instantly recognizable because of their pointed capirotes (reminiscent of a particular American hate group), accompany the elderly señoras wearing veils and mantillas and the priests blessing the crowds, some of whom cry out for mercy to the passing crucified Jesus. And, of course, Easter Sunday means long lunches with the entire family.

Et CeteraCarlos CabreraApril 12, 2020faith, easter, garcia marquez, books, one hundred years of solitude, resurrection, jesus, memory, deathComment

Life in the Times of Coronavirus: Lockdown Day 29

As Évole writes, the fact that many people who die from the coronavirus do so alone and without a familiar face is indeed the “cruelest face of this pandemic.” People die alone, and funerals are postponed indefinitely. This, of course, does not mean that grief can be stopped.

Unfortunately, we are not exempt from this sobering reality. Because of the 16,353 people that have died in Spain as of today from the coronavirus, we knew one of them personally: his name was Ramón.

Et CeteraCarlos CabreraApril 11, 2020corona, coronavirus, covid-19, coping, death, eulogy, ramón, illness, old ageComment