Happy Halloween! Feliz Dia de Los Muertos, All Saints day y All Souls day! This years experience of October/November celebrations has been much different than any other I've ever experienced. Saturday was a relaxed day for me. I went into Cayo for some stuff from the market and to buy a flea collar for the kitty. Turns out he's a little too young right now anyway, but oh well. I returned to Benque in time for lunch with the host family, which included bollos. Bollos are sort of comparable to a tamale but very different still. Its a corn based product, usually with chicken and beans and maybe a little tomato sauce. Over the past week I've had more than I can handle. While they're good, its not my favorite. After that meal, I took a nap to get rid of a horrible headache I had. They did road work in Benque today which included pouring steaming hot, liquidy tar on the roads and then covering it with loose rocks. I've never been assaulted with such a horrible smell! The headache lingered and the day carried on. With not much to do, I read, watched some TV, wrote a bit, read some more, played with the cat, did my best not to let the cat draw blood, and napped quite a bit. Around 8pm music was pouring out of the Cancha (field) where a concert was beginning. I had thought about going out to walk around and listen and watch people but since my host family goes to bed usually by 9pm I tend to stay in so as not to disturb them too late. The house has many locks and is muy seguro so getting A key is not an option. As I laid in bed, I thought about people back home celebrating halloween with a big of nostalgia and homesickness. Sure, I never really got big into the holiday aside from putting together a simple costume, sometimes just a pretty dress, and heading out to hang out and drink plenty with other costumed hooligans. In Benque, not so much. No costumes to be seen. No trick or treating as far as I know. And the one event that was going to happen Saturday evening for the kids got postponed because of the rains. Yay! Rain storm. My favorite.
So Sunday came around. I had an invitation to lunch at a woman's house. A request to be a judge for the kids costume contest, and an invitation to dinner at another woman's house! Whew! Busy day and LOTSSSS of food. Good heavens. Lots of food. Lunch was fascinating. I arrived at the house with two people who picked me up. When we entered the house there was a small group of people sitting in chairs lined up in rows saying Catholic prayers, chanting really. In front of the seats there was a kitchen island that had been turned into an alter. It contained many candles in front and then lots of plates of food, sweets and savory, milk, juice, liquor, beer, cigarettes, fruits, and more. Bastante comida. What they were celebrating was Dia de los Muertos which includes November 1 and 2. Nov 1 is All Saint's Day - a day for all the children who have died. Nov 2 is All Soul's Day - a day for all the adults who have died. This particular family put the alter together for both days (ninos y adultos) since Monday is a work day. We were shown to some seats and listened to the prayers as if we were in church. Not being Catholic is always a bit awkward in a Catholic society where everyone knows the prayers, when to say their hail Mary's, etc. and when to cross their hearts and minds.. Whats that called? eucharists? Anyway, I'm getting pretty used to awkward. Its all good.
After the prayers, everyone was served food, booze, beers, coke, plenty of everything to be had. I tried the bollos, escabeche which is a soup, a taco with some meat of pork that had been cooked in the ground for a day, some sweets that were made of pumpkin and way too sweet for me. And plenty more food... It was quite an experience. Conversations ensued about the preservation of this holiday, differences between Belize, Guatemala and even the United States. Also discussed was the fact that Halloween is tainting culture here. The older generation seems to lament the fact that their culture and traditions are not being grasped by the next generation. Sounds like a familiar and common tune unfortunately.
In the evening I went to the park, watched kids in costumes, watched them beat the crap out of two pinatas, eat candy and throw a lot of garbage on the ground, :( and then I had to judge the costumes with two other people and pick four "best" out of four categories. It was an amusing experience. I simple event with many many people out in the park plaza for a good time. Always a nice thing to see. I was scheduled to give a speech about keeping the park clean and also about how amazing Belize is and how people should clean up after themselves and love the beauty that they live in. It was quite a nice speech really, all written out because I hate public speaking and can't remember details if I'm stressed and on the spot. However, the rain came in, a mere drizzle at first, ever increasing until it was really coming down and lots of people were packed under one tiny tent. Roger and I decided to make a break for it and head to his host families house for a beer and to wait out the rain. As soon as we started walking, the skies knew. It poured one of those hard, warm summer rains. A downpour that will soak you in moments. It was a beautiful moment! I was drenched and trying to walk quickly on bad unpaved roads in sandals that slipped around uselessly. I loved it. So I didn't speak. Oh well. And after a few beers, I didn't make it out to get to the third invitation of the day. I returned home by 9:30 and settled in for the night.
Today will be more traditional celebrations. I believe I have a dinner invitation tonight and then there will be a procession from the church to the cemetery where everyone will visit that graves that have been decorated and blessed for those that have passed. Its quite an experience I'm having and as such a welcomed Peace Corps volunteer, I get a perspective that no tourist could even receive. I'm grateful. Although, very full and slightly exhausted from so much eating and so little else.
No comments:
Post a Comment