If you have been reading this for awhile, you may be aware that I am editing and posting from notes I’ve kept since we arrived. I hope to get caught up to present day sooner rather than later. In the meantime, I am going to interrupt my narrative to share this, because it seemed like an apt time to post it.
A Very Blessed and Joyous Season to All
His Banner of Love flies over us.
This last weekend (officially starting on Friday pasado) our little town of Olon honored Santa Lucia and also celebrated its birthday – its 51st, though we also heard it was its 501st. It is a four day party that lasts from Friday until late Monday night.
The locals began gearing up for this about 3 weeks ago commencing with the school band practicing their drums and tinkle bells for four hours each morning on the soccer field adjacent to our compound (more on this later).
The fiesta started in earnest around noon last Friday with soccer games on the field, accompanied by a live small band and complimented by various home speakers blaring music at high blast and the frequent cherry bombs. The problem with Ecuadorian music to most North American ears (ours included) is that it seems to have a rather limited range of, oh…maybe five notes. The music around town and later in the park continued well into the night and early morning hours, and started back up around noon Saturday. All day Saturday, the final touches were added to our new town park (the old one was razed about 4 months ago) and various food, jewelry, and toy vendors set up booths on the outskirts of the streets bordering the park. Our park now includes a gazebo, playground, stage and dance pavilion, and is the pride of all who live here.
Saturday was a lot of fun. Some of the first stands that were set up along the park’s streets were the ones that included foosball and miniature pool tables. The kids had a ball playing all day as the adults prepared food and booths, and the final stage and electronics were being prepared. In the early evening (“early” here being defined as starting around 9PM) people mingled around our park area, cruising the shopping booths, talking with one another while the kids played on the new playground equipment. Folks ate, drank, chatted and shopped (and I realized that the toy booths were Olon’s version of Target, with kids ogling, and parents surreptitiously purchasing). Dancing was scheduled to begin at midnight, and Todd and I were pretty sure we would be sound asleep by then, but our friends Scott and Pat showed up from Las Tunas to help fuel us for the celebration. We ate dinner at our favorite park side restaurant and ended up partying well into the night. Our neighbors, Randy and Fonda joined us at one point, and Todd and I ended the night (morning) sharing shots and dancing with the locals until dawn.
On Sunday night, more of the same was on the agenda, with the addition of fireworks before the kids got too sleepy (and frankly, me too). Fans of the Burning Man festival should consider making it to this party. An oil-rig looking structure with pinwheel fireworks attached had been erected in the middle of the park pavilion with a papier-mâché reindeer nearby. I think just about everyone in town was gathered around the park or watching from nearby homes and balconies. A band on our new stage played and after a few songs and speeches, the fireworks inside the papier-mâché reindeer were ignited.
The reindeer was lit, emitting a small spray of harmless sparkler-type of flames. A guy was holding it, and he began running around inside edge of the park….. The whole point of this phase is that the reindeer occasionally sent out more wicked, random shooting bottle-rocket fireworks (INTO THE CROWD) and the idea is to dodge those fire bullets if it happens around your location……sort of like a fiery musical chair game, and the whole crowd laughs at the folks who get caught when they are shot at and are dodging. That is until they are the next to have to duck. Not having seen this before, I foolishly sat on the inside park curb to film and was one of the first to get randomly “fired on”….These 54 year old knees haven’t unkinked that fast for some time. I should have figured this out when I overheard knowing locals share an inside giggle and wait when they saw me naively sit down as it started.
(Hit the "play" button)
That went on for about 15 minutes and eventually a match was put to the flammable pinwheel decorated derrick structure, and while that was still burning, an aerial fireworks display began. Large burning embers rained down on us and the neighborhood. Safety factor = 0 and I loved it! My favorite holiday as a youngster was the 4th of July, and I fortunately had a Kansas Dad who delighted in teaching us kids the thrill of hand-tossing lit M-80´s by the age of eight.
After the last twenty-plus years of living in Southern California, I was titillated by the fact that these folks were blithely ignoring the safety of performing these pyro tecnicos on the beach, a mere football field away, because – you know – this is always so much more exciting around a crowd and nearby thatched roofs in the center of town….. I am astonished there haven’t been burned houses or partially singed bald people in town after this event.
I’m not Catholic, and don’t know how Lucia got to be a saint, but she sure gives a helluva party down here.
Sounds like a great party,,,,,that I missed....sniff...VIVA!
ReplyDeleteThis is ALWAYS a great town party, Sapa!
DeleteSounds like a blast. I will have to mark our calendar to be in Olon for this event this year. It is held in December, is that correct?
ReplyDeleteDaphne,
DeleteHope you will be able to make it to this event this year.
It is usually held around December 10 for several days - and it is a blast.
Also, the weather is generally more "spring-like" during the first of December, as we transition from our "winter" to our "summer" --- not to mention that it's also a good time to come because it is on the "shoulder" before busy season, so rentals are easier and cheaper to find until around Christmas.
Please look us up if when you get here!