A Guatemalan Navidad
Trip Start
Nov 24, 2005
1
9
40
Trip End
May 21, 2006
Xela,
Guatemala
Monday, December 26, 2005
For the weeks leading up to Christmas groups of people march through the street carrying lanterns and blowing whistles. These posadas as they are known knock on doors from which they are typically turned away. Their attempt at recreating the pilgrimage endured by Mary and Joseph towards Bethlehem.
Christmas shopping Guatemalan style mean traipsing street after closed off street past innumerable tables selling wares that quite possibly spent the last two decades in an American warehouse before their liquidation to Central America.
It is near impossible for myself or any of my friends here to wish someone a 'Feliz Navidad' without adopting the song's tune in our voices
01_Our house Christmas Eve
.And as far as English Christmas songs go, Guatemalans love that George Michael song 'Last Christmas' I heard it absolutely everywhere. In the words of my teacher, Marvin, it is 'muy clasico'
Tamales or otherwise known as rice with the begeezes cooked out of it, covered in a sweet or savoury sauce and served on a large palm-like leaf can be a tasty treat.
Twinkling Christmas lights are strewn everywhere. Throughout houses, in the streets and even in churches. Most beloved are those that flash and repeat the same four bars of a carol ad nauseam.
Presents are not placed beneath the tree. That spot is reserved for a nativity scene. Plastic kings, shepherds, barn animals and naturally Mary and Joseph dolls await the arrival of Jesus who is placed there midnight on Christmas Eve.
Guatemalans love many things about the holiday but nothing is more revered than their fireworks.
02_Our neighbours house
A special market was erected near the Central Park to sell, nearly exclusively, innumerable varieties of firecracker.The sun had barely set on Christmas Eve when the streets began to fill with clusters of people igniting multitudes of semi-legal explosives. Children ran about squealing with delight. As the night progressed the popping and banging grew exponentially. Until the pinnacle. Midnight. Upon opening the front door, the air thick with residual smoke, we were greeted with a sky alight with colours. From every corner of the city fireworks were released in celebration that Christmas had arrived at last.
And finally, when celebrating a major holiday in a foreign country nothing beats new friends who will sit for hours in a park with you on Christmas Eve afternoon or join you Christmas Day at a tasty dinner in a cafe with bold and arguably fairly terrible paintings.
