Christmas; Blending Traditions from both Americas

Margarita loves Christmas.  That's a good thing, since she is an artist of all things Christmas.  That's her business.  We have Christmas hanging in the house all year round, but for the holidays, she really brings out her inventory.  I wouldn't let her decorate before our Halloween Party, but in the days after, 

she transformed our house into a showcase of all of her goods. 

Margarita designs, sews and sells all of this.  

She is so creative and talented.

Ofcourse, Christmas to them is not about house decorations.  In this heavily Catholic Country, Christmas is about the Baby Jesus.  So, like so many others during the holidays, they reaffirm their faith to God and family by participating in small services for nine nights before Christmas.  

These are called Novenas, and it's a chance for neighbors, family and friends 

to gather together at someone's house for small prayer meetings.  

But more than that, in this family, Christmas stirs up a spirit of kindness and generosity to the people of their community.  I first became aware of this when Jose and Margarita headed off to the store in mid-December and came back with bags and bags of chocolates, hard candies and animal cracker cookies.  Margarita laid it all out on the table and gave the "kids" (Pablo, Me, and our friends Alex and Anthony) strict instructions on how many of each kinds to pack into transparent candy gift bags.  We made more than 30 candy bags that night and in the coming days I watched them distribute the gift bags to friends and family wherever they went.  They also made a point to hand them to people in need.  For example, they put some candy bags in the car to pass out to people begging in the street or to anyone looking like they needed a little help for the holidays.  Similar candy gift bags are sold everywhere for gifts and so they're very traditional to give and receive.  But, my family went out of their way to make their own gift bags and make sure to pass the bags out to some strangers.  

This was what I found so special.  I was happy to help.  

In a similar vein, I decided to teach my family and friends about the US tradition of baking and gifting Christmas Cookies.  Really, I was feeling homesick and was craving some flavors of my childhood.  So, I invited all the women and kids in my family to join me for a night of baking cookies.  Since they really don't eat cookies very much in Ecuador, and they certainly never bake them, my invitation had to have a lot of explanation.  But they've come to trust that if I'm hosting an event, it's going to be interesting and fun, so most everyone came.  Margarita's mom even rode a bus three hours from Quito just to enjoy the party too.  I started the evening by feeding them all a traditional dinner of Chili and Cornbread.  Tasting the chili powder my sister brought me from the US was a highlight for them all.  That flavor does not exist down here. 

Then, I got Elva rolling out and cutting the dough for the Peppermint Spirals.

Susy and Margory helped chop all the almonds for the Almond Crescents.  

The highlight of the evening was of course the Sugar Cookie Cutouts. 

Elvita, Alex, Pablo and Margory were patient decorators.
Faby, Margarita and Johana enjoyed the eating!

I had divided the Sugar Cookie dough into two parts thinking that we'd decorate 

half with sugar sprinkles and I'd teach them how to paint the rest with frosting.  

But they thought the sugar was so fun, I never even bothered to make the frosting! 

In the days before the party, I had made Snickerdoodles, Fudge Brownies and the Peppermint Spiral dough so that they could try lots of different cookies.  All of these recipes and flavors were new to them, but the clear favorites were the Almond Crescents and Sugar Cookie Cutouts (with milk of course!)  But for me, the best part of all, was actually teaching them how to say the word 

"Snick-er-doo-dle", with peals of laughter from everyone in the room!

Since "cutsy presentation" is so important in Ecuador, I found little plastic plant pots
for $0.40 and made them reindeer cups to carry their cookies home.  Then we made plates
of cookies to gift to other members of the family who couldn't come to the party.
They were very well received!

To make this party a success, I had searched several stores for all the ingredients
(extracts, candied sugar, and different flours), but finding the candy canes was a real effort.
I had to travel to the mega supermarket in Quito where I found packages of very old
(a little gooey) imported candy canes - 12 for $4.50!  I'm definitely not in the US anymore!

Although Christmas Day is the National Holiday in Ecuador, Christmas Eve really holds more importance and significance for the people.  Margarita bought a turkey and as it was cooking, she and Jose decided it was too much for us all to eat.  So they got on the phone and invited more people.  Faby, Wilo, and their boys Alex and Anthony came over, as well as Carmen and Susy from their tienda, or store, down the street.

First we had a prayer meeting, or a Novena with the Baby Jesus, and then we ate
a traditional meal with turkey in Maracuyá Sauce, potatoes and a salad made up of fresh
corn, peas, carrots and mango in mayonnaise.  The turkey was probably the best
I've ever had and the salad was delicious, too.  Gelatin and fruit was our dessert.

During the day while we were preparing for the meal, I tried to interest Pablo in my traditions of Santa Claus, or "Papa Noel".  He wasn't buying it too much, until thanks to someone's post on Facebook, I found a website that "tracked" the path of Santa Claus around the world.  Suddenly, this brought a whole new level of reality to my story and we got out my world map and started following Papa Noel around the globe.  We discussed different continents and countries and made predictions of when he might get to Ecuador.  "But wait!", I exclaimed, "How will he know to leave some presents if we don't have stockings hanging by the chimney?"  Pablo and I solved that problem fast, as I had him running through the house finding the biggest soccer socks for everyone in the house.  

He was so proud of himself, I took a picture and put in on Facebook!

A little while later, Margarita happened to check her Facebook Feed and was horrified to discover the display of her family's socks on the Internet.  I argued that they were clean!  She wouldn't have it.  She quickly covered the soccer socks up with her own homemade Christmas "boots" and posted that picture on Facebook instead.  Now, the fireplace looked much prettier and presentable for Papa Noel!

After the party was over, Pablo headed off to bed and the adults of the house did a little 

tip-toeing around.  At 6:30am in the morning, Pablo knocked excitedly at my door yelling, 

"Santa came!" and a true believer was born.  It's true, there were new presents 

under the tree that only HE could have left behind!  So, in our pajamas, 

my Ecuadorian family carried out a very non-Ecuadorian tradition of 

opening presents together on Christmas morning.

The first present Pablo opened was a baseball bat.  

I guess Santa decided this kid needed to learn how to play ball!  

Each of us had a present or two to open, but of course Pablo received a little more.

He was very happy with his stash including an electric car, a new soccer ball, new soccer shoes, 
an Avengers game, a giant candy cane and a joke book.  He lined up his gifts all on his own 
for this picture.  (I used to do the same thing when I was 8!)

Since we're all trying to encourage Pablo to practice his reading, the joke book 
was a favorite addition to our long afternoon trip to Quito where we spent 
the rest of the day with most of Margarita's brothers.  

Margarita is the oldest and the only girl followed by Ivan, Erik, Luis 

and Brandon (not in correct birth order).

We also took a lovely walk in the park with Margarita's mom, Elva, the next morning. 

In the week between Christmas and New Years, I had planned to take a short vacation 

to the beach, but all of that quickly changed when plans were announced for the neighborhood Christmas/ New Years Celebration all day on December 28th.  

Well, I couldn't miss that!

The morning started off with a Pase del Niño which means a reenactment of Angels,
Mary, Joseph and the Wisemen all parading through the streets to show off the Baby Jesus.
Really, this was a very short and sweet neighborhood parade through the 

cobblestone streets and dirt roads that make up the countryside around my home.  Since the Angamarcas are a prominent family in this barrio, many groups of Familia Angamarca
were in attendance including Jose's parents, his brothers, cousins and all of their families.

My Cousin Margory played the Virgin Mary, and Susy, her sister,
 is holding her likeness in this picture. 

Holding the Baby Jesus, Joseph and the Virgin Mary in the Pase del Niño is very important, and these icons change hands every half block or so.  This man was in charge of the list of people who had signed up to take their turn carrying the icons in the parade.  As he called out family names, people would come forward and take their turn, while others insisted on knowing when it was their turn.  At one point, he started calling out "Family Jose Angamarca".  Oh no!  Jose and Margarita had to attend to something else and didn't end up coming to the Pase.  So, upon realizing that Jose wasn't there, extended family members started to insist that I should take the turn since I was the representative member of Jose's family.  No!  I refused.  
I would have tripped or dropped it.  It would have been horrible!

So Jose's sister Veronica, in the red, stepped in to the procession with 
Mary and Joseph instead. 

The parade wound its way to the little community church
and the neighbors crowded in for a mass.

Carmen, Wilo and their girls Susy, Johana and Margory were honored in the mass 

because next year Carmen is going to be in charge of this community celebration.  

This is a big honor, and a big responsibility, too. 

This man helped punctuate the end of the mass with his loud fireworks
in the side yard of the church.

And then they paraded on down the road to have lunch together 

and begin an afternoon of games and festivities.  

I will write more about our evening festivities and our very wild night 
in my next post titled Año Viejo.

To give you a taste of the Pase del Niño and a famous Ecuadorian christmas carol 

played repeatedly throughout the season, here is a short video.  

If you can't see the video, go to onthewingadventures.blogspot.com

My School's Christmas Program

In Ecuador this past year, December 23rd was reserved for school Christmas programs.  Students and their families flooded into the schools to participate in the fun.  At my small school, 
U.E. Agustín Cueva Dávila, the Christmas program 
was a whole-school event. 

To decorate, students were asked to make ornaments or donate some 
from their homes to add to a community Christmas Tree.

The program started with a grand procession by all the students representing their different classes. 

Ecuadorians love living history reenactments so the Juniors and Seniors paraded in 
and formed a living crèche overlooking the festivities.

The pre-school kids had the Little Drummer Boy leading their procession. 

Then they sang a few songs while the teachers sprayed foam, or "fake snow" to add to the
spirit of the season.  When you live at the Equator, snow mostly comes in a bottle! 

Other classes sang Christmas Carols, or performed choreographed routines to Christmas music.  It's normal for some crafty parent to contract or make all the costumes while each child pays their share. 

The staff joined in the fun with a musical number of their own.  

I missed rehearsal so I wasn't able to participate.

The 6th and 7th graders had been practicing a traditional dance for weeks, 

and they performed it beautifully.

Here they are posing for pictures with their dance instructor. 

Even the Parent's Association danced a famous jig called "Los Viejitos", or The Old Ones.

After all the performances, the students lined up by class and the new 

student government representatives passed out gelatin and candy for all to enjoy.

"Señora" and "Señorita Navidad" of Ibarra also came to the party to hand out bags of candy
to all the younger students.  The kids were in complete awe to have them at our school.  

Beauty contest winners are very famous here.

And finally, as in all Ecuadorian parties, the festivities ended with a dance party.  

Books were given to the winners.

And then we were free.  Eight days of vacation from school.  

And lots of holiday adventures for me to come!

School Events at Agustín Cueva Dávila

For my service this school year, I've been fortunate enough to spend two days at my first assigned school, U.E. Teodoro Gómez de la Torre (TGT), and three days at my second and much smaller school, U.E. Agustín Cueva Dávila (ACD).  Since the Ministry of Education sets a calendar for all schools to celebrate the same important days each year, I'm seeing many of the same types of events this year as I witnessed and wrote about last year.  However this year, for many of these events, I have made it a point to be at my new smaller school.  It's been fun to watch how they interpret the events differently.  
Here is a summary of key events that have happened this fall at U.E. Agustín Cueva Dávila. 

On September 26th, every school celebrates Flag Day with a lot of pomp and circumstance.  This is an especially important day for the Seniors around the country, because on this day they each make a promise to their flag to honor their country of Ecuador.  Also, on this day, the Valedictorian, or the Abanderado, of each school in announced, as this student has the honor of holding the Ecuadorian flag.  This student is the Abanderado for the entire year.  Those students who have grade point averages just below the Abanderado make up the court of flag bearers.  At TGT, over 350 seniors took this oath last year.  At ACD, there are only 8 Seniors, so the ceremony was much shorter!  

To kick things off, the entire body of students from the high school marched 

in formation and sang anthems for Ecuador and the City of Ibarra.
They had been practicing this for many days.
Their green sweaters and dark blue jeans are their school uniforms. 

And then the Seniors entered to the applause of parents, School and District Administrators,
as well as authorities from the city government and active military officers
who were overseeing the public commitment of these students. 

Delia was named as the new Abanderada of ACD, the smartest student in the school.  In this culture, they honor the parents of these high-achieving students as well, and her mom was tasked with tying on her special sash.  A representative of the military presented her with a flag. 

Then, she held the flag for each of her classmates to give their promise to Ecuador.

It was a proud moment for them all. 

During the months of October and November, students from 7th-12th grade formed groups and campaigned to be the next Student Government Advisory Board for all school issues.  For two weeks, students were given some hours out of classes to listen to debates between each of the groups and enjoy the campaigns (which means dance or foam parties in the courtyard).  Ecuadorians take their participation in their government very seriously.  (Remember the National Paro?  If not, see my Blog post from October 2019).  Voting is also mandatory in all elections.  What better way to teach the youth of this country about their citizenship and responsibility, but to hold very serious elections at each of the schools?  In addition to the President, the Vice-President, the Secretary and the Treasurer, students were elected into advisory positions encompassing Healthy Habits and Environment, Creating a Culture of Harmony and Peace, Inclusion for All, Prevention of Violence and Psychological Problems, Developing Life Skills, and the Integration of Sexual Education. 

To certify the winners of the election, a special ceremony was held in November.  The students took an oath in front of parents, teachers, administrators and government officials, who in turn signed the official papers.  This is a far cry from my very short experience with Student Government 
when I ran for President of my 8th grade class under the slogan, "What the Heck, Vote for Beck!"  
I didn't win. 

Again, parents are also honored in these ceremonies.
Here is Juan José's mom tying on his official sash. 

The leaders of the new student government: Delia, Juan José, Adely and Luisa. 
Delia, our Abanderada, is also our new Class President. 

In addition to special ceremonies, certain days are designated for emergency simulations 

or drills.  Since all buildings are made out of stone or concrete, fire drills are not necessary.  

Instead, students are taught to evacuate their classroom during an earthquake, 

and immediately form circles to take attendance and start an organized game. 

Other students are trained by the local Red Cross to administer first aid as needed.
During these drills they have to convince their friends to be victims
so they can practice their skills.

During other weeks, the Ministry's calendar requires all schools to integrate a theme into the curriculum.  Administrators and teachers get to decide how that will happen in their particular school.  For example, in November, a week was dedicated to learning about people with physical challenges.  The teachers at ACD decided to hold a variety of short events throughout the week.  On Tuesday, all high-school students watched two short films with characters who had physical challenges.  They compared and discussed their experiences and that of these characters.   

On Wednesday and Thursday, citizens who are blind, deaf, or unable to walk were invited to speak about their experiences at an all-school assembly.  The man who was deaf, and spoke in sign language, captivated the students as they hung on his every translated word. 

On Friday, the teachers tasked each class to create a game that forced students to 

"walk in the shoes of another" by simulating a variety of physical challenges. 

For example, if you didn't have the use of your hands, how would you eat an apple
or paint?

If you didn't have the use of your legs, how would it feel to need the help of your friends?

If your eyesight was compromised, how could you play soccer, or other games?

I was really touched by the empathy and inclusiveness my students showed for others. 

Finally, as we are coming upon Christmas, there have been many different programs 

to honor the traditions of this holiday.  First, most every classroom has made some effort 

to decorate or create a belén, or crèche.

Our music teacher (with the accordion) has also been hard at work parading students 

all over town to various schools and bandstands for Christmas programs.  

If you can believe it, this is the concert stage in the food court of the bus station 

- and it's a very popular venue.  

Our school can't afford any instruments, but the student's voices are lovely.