El Salvador is a land of wonderful traditions and great artistic celebration.  Like most of Latin America and the Caribbean, it is also a land of great and rich religious and cultural syncretism (blending of traditions).  

The Day of the Cross is an old tradition in El Salvador where the people offer God the first fruits of the land which also marks the start of the rainy season.  

What does one do exactly for this holiday?  

In the corner of a patio, a cross is placed by the family.  This cross is to be made from the branches of the jiote tree.  Then, the family adorns the cross with paper decorations and fruits. At the end of the day, you remove and eat one of the fruits.  This is called “adorando la cruz”.  

At COAR, this past May (2017), we held our first Day of the Cross.  Each house participated in this tradition but the boys placed their cross in the garden of the Administration Building.  Within each house, the housemothers lead the children in a reflection about how they have each been blessed by God.