Religious pageantry now behind us, it's time for the Feria! Gatito has Wed-Friday off of school and before the beach on Thurs, we need to see what this is all about.
As Ms. Bell says...what makes grown women put on polka dots and ruffly dresses and parade around town accompanied by men with pants so tight they must unzip to sit...?
To help answer that question, I've invited two friends from Paris...so far we've had late nights, shopping days and I have 2 (not 1, but 2!) new pairs of Camper shoes..both fancy, high heels. As Alexandra said, "We NEED good shoes for our balance." Upon returning home and modeling these beauties, the Don kindly chose to remain mute rather than take the opportunity to remind me of the shitty exchange rate for the dollar.
So back to Feria, got the shoes, got the visitors, got temps in the high 70s, but it's sort of like a private party where people have "casitas" and you have to have an invitation to enter. This is where gatito comes in. We've got an invite from one of his school friends today, so tonight we'll be heading to the Feria at the outskirts of town and my biggest problem is that besides great shoes, I have NOTHING TO WEAR!!! (=?more shopping?)
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Thursday, April 5, 2007
Semana Santa II
Last night we met up with parents of gatito's friends at 8:30pm. That was "right!"
(The wrong: me wearing faded jeans, hiking shoes and a black fleece.....their family looks like they stepped out of a fashion magazine. Gatito's friend in shorts, colored boy stockings, matching shoes and a little Berber-like coat. My family steps out of grunge.)
Attire aside, they led us through the crowd to a side street along the procession route where we could almost breath. We stood with thousands of others and watched the hundreds of nazarinths pass. Our children are pushed to the front so they can see (but where we can't see them). A man from the front calls back to us: "I've got one hand on each child's shoulder". Then he tells them that when the nazarinths give them candies, he wants a cut! They entertain themselves asking for candy, little cards with pictures of virgins and Jesus on them and then wax from the candles carried by the same nazarinths (the candle is turned on its side, the melted wax is collected onto a ball of paper that grows in color and size with dripping wax through all the days and years of processions). When the SECOND procession passes (11:00pm), and the Jesus float stops right in front of us, a woman from a balcony above begins to sing. Everyone hushes to listen to her beautiful, plaintive song. I had goosebumps.
THIS was my idea of Semana Santa. People not just drinking to drunkeness, eating and talking on cell phones with intermittent glances at the procession, but a mass of people actually engaged with the spirituality. Even if I don't feel the religion, I loved the moment of people coming together in good spirit and mood. Quite beautiful.
After that, they led us to a tapa bar where we elbowed our way inside to eat and drink. The Don returned home at that point (it being 12:30am) because he had to do early morning field work, but gatito and I stayed on for 2 more processions, finally "leaving the friends early" and walking home (the streets were PACKED PACKED PACKED with people). It was 2:30am.
I'm rather trashed today...all that excitement meant I didn't sleep until 4:30am. Gatito's first words upon waking. "Anoche fue muy divertido." I agreed.
And then he reminded me that the Esperanza de Triana, who is around the corner from our house, is coming out at 3:00am tonight/tomorrow. His ball of wax must grow!
(The wrong: me wearing faded jeans, hiking shoes and a black fleece.....their family looks like they stepped out of a fashion magazine. Gatito's friend in shorts, colored boy stockings, matching shoes and a little Berber-like coat. My family steps out of grunge.)
Attire aside, they led us through the crowd to a side street along the procession route where we could almost breath. We stood with thousands of others and watched the hundreds of nazarinths pass. Our children are pushed to the front so they can see (but where we can't see them). A man from the front calls back to us: "I've got one hand on each child's shoulder". Then he tells them that when the nazarinths give them candies, he wants a cut! They entertain themselves asking for candy, little cards with pictures of virgins and Jesus on them and then wax from the candles carried by the same nazarinths (the candle is turned on its side, the melted wax is collected onto a ball of paper that grows in color and size with dripping wax through all the days and years of processions). When the SECOND procession passes (11:00pm), and the Jesus float stops right in front of us, a woman from a balcony above begins to sing. Everyone hushes to listen to her beautiful, plaintive song. I had goosebumps.
THIS was my idea of Semana Santa. People not just drinking to drunkeness, eating and talking on cell phones with intermittent glances at the procession, but a mass of people actually engaged with the spirituality. Even if I don't feel the religion, I loved the moment of people coming together in good spirit and mood. Quite beautiful.
After that, they led us to a tapa bar where we elbowed our way inside to eat and drink. The Don returned home at that point (it being 12:30am) because he had to do early morning field work, but gatito and I stayed on for 2 more processions, finally "leaving the friends early" and walking home (the streets were PACKED PACKED PACKED with people). It was 2:30am.
I'm rather trashed today...all that excitement meant I didn't sleep until 4:30am. Gatito's first words upon waking. "Anoche fue muy divertido." I agreed.
And then he reminded me that the Esperanza de Triana, who is around the corner from our house, is coming out at 3:00am tonight/tomorrow. His ball of wax must grow!
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