Searching for the Christmas Spirit

Ron (grudgingly) helped me put up the Christmas decorations this year. He's never been the season's biggest fan and nearly four decades in retail took their toll. He got to see the stress, short-temperedness, and gratuitous commercialism that embodies that side of the season. There's so much pressure for the 'perfect' gift, perfect memories, perfect day, that he really didn't care for the experience of nursing people through it. I get it. Working in banking didn't give me a much different perspective. Bank accounts got low, credit card statements rose and houses filled with stuff...unnecessary stuff, or even worse, expensive unnecessary stuff.

You'd like tired after 9 hours of parading, too.

Now, I know that there's a whole raft of people who believe that Jesus is the reason for the season. Good for you! Enjoy your observances, enjoy mass or services, take the time to appreciate His sacrifice. Not everyone has that same belief. I could go on about the historical realities of Yule and other festivals that celebrate the winter equinox, when days get shorter and celebrating the return of longer days. I won't get into Jesus's birthday.

Ecuador is a blissful mix of secular and laic celebration. They have no issue with Rudolf riding a bike next to the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus. In many ways, it's my kind of Christmas. I don't really believe in the commercial side, nor the religious, so what does that leave me? (Especially with a spousal unit that would prefer to ignore the whole thing?) Twinkling lights, copious amounts of glitter and food. Food is the one thing I know Ron can't resist, so Christmas baking, toutiere and homemade caramels are on the list. 

You thought I'd made that up, didn't you?

We also have a movie watching ritual that includes It's a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Carol (with Alastair Sim), A Muppet Christmas Carol (Beaker gives Scrooge the finger) and A Christmas Story...who can resist little Ralphie in a pink rabbit suit and an Italian mystery prize? So that, that is our Christmas, good food, some minor traditions...I mustn't forget out traditional Christmas day walk...so much more pleasant when it's over 20 degrees, as opposed to minus something.

Festival of Lights

A little holiday laundry? Sure!

Christmas trout? Why not?

My take away? Gratitude...that's what most people can agree to about this season. Whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Diwali, Eid (yes, it sometimes falls around this time of year), Saturnalia, Festivas, Yule, Bodhi, Pancha Ganapati and anything else I might have missed, I'm pretty sure we can agree that being thankful for what we have, whom we have with us and how lucky we are to be wherever we are is a decent theme for the holidays. May you find things to be grateful for and we wish you a very happy holiday season, whatever you believe.

Happy Holidays!

Santa in training!

To all of our family and friends, both near and far, we're wishing you the very best of this holiday season. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah (a bit late), Joyous Kwanzaa, Happy Festivus, Happy Eid (even though it's well past) and Merry "Yay, I've got a day off".

We decorate EVERYTHING here

Hopefully, you find that the miles are not an impediment to sending and receiving love and warm thoughts, which we send freely and joyously.

May 2018 bring you happiness, success and wonder.

From Ron and I

A New Shiny Cuenca

Well, we're coming into the holiday season...in truth, it's upon us. Cuenca is finding a new style of self that involves Christmas becoming, brighter and more "touristy", at least this is their hope.

Mr. Toad Comes for Christmas

It's pretty amazing to see the lights expanding over the city, when a few years ago, only Parque Calderon was lit up. Now the Centro is benefiting from the concept of holiday tourism. They've even put up the largest Christmas tree in South America...we can actually see it from our place and it's down by the river. (I have yet to take pictures, sadly.)

A river of light - over the river

Ecuador wants you to come and visit. They want to show you their amazing culture, their progress and the stunning natural beauty that this country contains.

Luminary Festival with Carl & Linda

Parque Calderon

We're happy to say that the restaurant scene here is expanding, even though anything outside of traditional food struggles to gain a foot hold. Restaurateuring here isn't for the faint of heart, but for the bold, there is opportunity. (I don't think I'd do it, even if someone offered me a million dollars as seed money.) I'm so glad that others are braver.

Sure, there's crazy stuff, like the health insurance debacle and the rumours that the minister of tourism doesn't like foreigners moving here and Tranvia (light rail system) taking for-EVER, but day to day life is pretty sweet. The people I meet and have come to know (in passing) are kind, friendly and welcoming. 

The Christmas goose, perhaps?

I have no idea what the future holds, but for now, we're content to pass our days on the equator, searching for the next great travel destination.

A Christmas Wish

Every Christmas and New Years seem to be a time for reflection. I know this isn't only my tradition and that others take the time to look back at the year and assess.

Up-cycled Christmas Decorations

It was a pretty amazing year, with both highs and lows, as usual. We had the vacation of a lifetime in Australia and finished up with a little bit of laziness in Thailand. We have a new granddaughter and had friends and family visit. We've made new friends, said good-bye to old ones and lost someone dear.


If my little health problem has taught me anything, it's to be grateful for the little things. (Like being able to lay on my back in the night without pain.) It's become clear to me that the truly important things in life are experiences, not things and that a good friend is worth more than their (literal) weight in gold and good health is a privilege not to be overlooked. So laugh, love and go out into the world if you can, that new smart phone can wait.

My wish for you, is that you have amazing experiences, that the ones you love are well and healthy and that life never  ceases to surprise and amaze you. I hope that all my friends and family know how grateful I am for them (no matter how far away we are) and that you have all given me an incredible life. I am grateful for so much, but most especially, Ron; my champion, best friend and incredible husband. What ever would I do without you? To my sisters, you are the ones that have known me forever and had a hand in making me me. (Yes, I'm blaming you! That's the little sister's job.) And to my dearest Janette, who comes to the rescue when it's most needed., I love you all.

To all of you: strangers, friends and my family, a blessed holiday and adventurous 2017. May health and happiness reign.

Get Your Party On - Cuencano Festivals

There's really not a bad time to come visit Cuenca, or Ecuador in general, but if you want to party with the locals in a focused and purposeful manner you might want to visit during one of their major festivals.

El Año Viejo (New Years Eve/literally "the old year"):

Think fireworks, bonfires and effigies (called viejos or años viejos). Not everyone gets this idea, as effigy burning has a different connotation for many people. Here, it's just a way to get rid of the bad feelings from the old year and send out wishes and prayers for the coming year. The effigies are often familiar and beloved characters filled with fireworks and hand written notes that express the dreams for the new year. The pictures may look like we've just survived a civil war, but the only battle is between the communities for best effigy installation. This is a family friendly event, with even small children hopping over the bonfires to have good luck in the new year. Top this off with fireworks and the new year is a pretty great experience. (December 31)

Hoping to win the World Cup

 

Pick a mask

Pick a body and make a Viejo

Then set it on fire and jump over it 3 times for
good luck!

 Dia de los Santos Inocentes (Day of the Innocent Saints or sainted innocents):

Parades are a common occurrence here, but this is one of the larger ones. This parade is a light hearted (and sometimes not so light) mockery of all the little issues that bug Cuencanos through out the year. A particular favourite with the locals, especially the children, expect to see expat's being made fun of and other interesting floats and costumes. The satire is heavy and the parade, held on the last day of the celebrations, has been going on since colonization. (December 28 to January 6)

 Carnaval:

This isn't for everyone, but if you like water fights, this might be the time for you to visit. Cans of fun foam, bags of flour and water guns are de rigeur. For the most part the Ecuadorian youth have been educated to not wantonly attack foreigners, but it's been known to happen - an unexpected jet of water from a passing car, a water balloon from a roof top or a random drive by foaming. If you're prepared for it, it's a pretty good time. The foam doesn't stain your clothes, the water dries and the flour can be shaken out. Be prepared to have people ask you if it's okay to spray you. Of course, if you're packing (either cans of foam or water guns) that makes you a free target right away. The final weekend culminates in huge water/foam fights down in the local parks. Parque Calderon is awash in foam. (The two weeks prior to the Lenten season)

Corpus Cristi (Body of Christ):

The streets are packed with sweets vendors and the square around Parque Calderon is blocked off by the local barrios firework towers. Every night during the festival, the towers are lit up and an incredible display of close up (and I mean close up...mind your clothes) fireworks. Spinners and sparklers work their way up the tower until the top gets lit up and ends in an impressive show of more traditional fireworks. Usually two towers a night are set off. Don't worry about being able to stay awake, with all the sugar you've imbibed during the day (the vendors have something for everyone), you'll be ready to watch the spectacle.
(Held the 9th Thursday after Easter meaning usually in June)

 

Tres de noviembre (The Third of November):

This is the day of Cuenca's liberation from the invading Spanish. The celebration is held over a three day long weekend and features a huge artisanal market along the banks of the River Tomebamba (Toe-may-BOM-ba), feature artists throughout the cities galleries and museums and closed streets throughout the city. All manner of goods can be purchased and many artisans come from all over South America to participate. There are also free concerts and what would a celebration be without fireworks and food?
(Held the weekend closest to November 3rd.) 

Pase del Niño Viajero (Passage of the Traveling/Wandering Child):

If parades are your thing, then this is a must. The desfile (Spanish for parade) is an event a year long in planning and you'll need to eat your Wheaties if you're going to see the whole thing. It's not unusual for the parade to last for 9 or more hours and it features all sorts of music, floats and groups of Indigenous dancers. It mixes the sacred with the profane. (I've seen the Virgin Mary riding a bicycle decorated like Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.) If you're lucky you can score a place in one of the surrounding buildings that offers a balcony over looking the festivities. We usually go down for a while in the morning, break for lunch and possibly a nap (depending on how warm the day is) and then head back for a second round in the afternoon. Be prepared for throngs of people who don't adhere to the regular rules of parade viewing. The parade is often stopped to push back eager viewers to the curb of the street. Children can score candy, thrown from the floats and if it's hot enough the fire department will be out offering to hose them down with water. (Held December 24th)

Of course, there's a lot more going on here. Parades spring up with no notice and there are also art, music, food and even orchid festivals throughout the year, but the festivals mentioned above are fairly big and don't tend to change dates or times of year. Come anytime and have a fantastic holiday, but plan to try and hit some of the big events if you can.

Parades Parades Parades!

I confess it. We skipped the annual Paseo del Niño Viajero parade this year. We did go downtown, but except for checking out the little kids in their traditional dress and eyeballing the occasional decorated sheep, we just cut through the crowd and went to buy some wine.

Yup, sheep wearing food...go figure!

I know, I know...how could we? We've raved about the parade and all that it entails, but seriously...twice was enough, at least for the time being.

That doesn't mean we missed out on the fun, per se. We had three parades march past our building and came across another parade on Boxing Day (that would be December 26th for those of you that aren't part of the Commonwealth). 

Peek-a-boo Parade #1

Note bus waiting patiently for parade #2 to pass

Cristo Rey Parade (#3) Preparation

The street in front of our apartment

These are pictures from the Boxing day parade that we accidentally came across coming from the new cathedral. It's obviously a celebration of plenty and gratitude.
 

Chancho!

And accompaniments

Cuy on a bed of roasted potatoes

Bean garlands

Dessert

Giant bottle of booze on a horse

Last minute present? Vendors around the cathedral

He seems quite pleased with his wings.

Roasted chicken eating a $10 bill

We had our usual stroll, late New Year's Eve to check out the big community installations. This year's theme was "FIFA Corruption" apparently. Some of the displays weren't as impressive as they've been in past years, possibly due to the affect of oil prices and the economic slow down, or just because rich fat cats scamming the system is a fairly usual thing in South America and didn't engender any boiling outrage.

Año Viejo Effigies

Could you burn Mario?

This guy was huge, maybe 6'5"

What? They're a roller coaster, can't you tell?

Burning of the Año Viejos

 What we didn't do is stick around for the fires. Instead we headed back to the castle (the apartment - as one of our friends calls it) to watch the fireworks. Many of the families that stay in the city buy fireworks and not just the little cracklers or screamers, but the big, bright colourful ones that you see on Canada Day or during the Symphony of Fire...whatever it's called now. In El Centro, you can hear them going off, but because so many of the streets are narrow, you only get to see a select few. We were curious as to how big the display really was.

One firework

It...was...BIG. Bigger than we could have imagined. As soon as it gets dark (sometimes earlier) they start. Until about 11:45 they're random, scattered around the city and fairly sporadic. And then you get close to midnight and the real show starts. We have a 180 degree view of the city and as the fireworks became more regular I tried to tape a bit of video. And then the horrible thing happened. I ran out of memory card. Yup, just as it was really warming up and I could record the best part. We stood at our window, in awe of the completely dazzling display. The fireworks kept going fast and furious until about 12:25, so we had a good 40 minute show. They wound down a little after 1:am, but continued to go off through the night and over the next couple of days. (I've mentioned that Ecuadorians love their fireworks, right?)

I find myself at a loss for words to describe what we saw, but it was magnificent. I'll be ready for next year, with my large memory card and a perch on the roof of our building. As we've told many friends, if you really want to experience Cuenca at its best, the holidays are the time to visit. There isn't a ton of commercialism during Christmas, but there are decorations and the city gets busier leading up to parade day, so you do get that "feeling". It's just too bad that you can't be in a lofty perch and in the heart of the New Year's festivities at the same time, so plan to come back to experience one or the other the next time. 

More pictures from the parade:

Little Angel

Big Angel (narrowly avoiding a wardrobe malfunction)

Getting ready to mount up

They grow facial hair young here.

The three "wise" guys..er...men

Colonial Influence

Traditional Dress

This little guy could barely stay awake

His parade mate isn't impressed.

So stoic

A dress big enough for a horse.

And the band plays on...

Christ Child a la "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"

More Traditional Dress

Riding in style

Angel in a toque...a must for every parade

This Christ Child makes almost every parade.

Well, that's it for the crazy holiday season. In a little while Carnival will roll around with all its fun and then we'll be off to the other side of the world for a while. Until the next post, be well and savour life, because it's short.