Our Lady of Guadelupe, Dec. 11 & 12

The "altar" set up at the end of our street

Well, I got to experience first hand a traditional Guatemalan celebration of a feast day of Mary, the mother of Jesus.  I need to put a disclaimer here, making it clear that this manner of celebration is NOT sanctioned by the Catholic Church, even here in Guatemala.  In fact, Mari said that the priests at her church encouraged the parishioners NOT to participate.

It was hard for us to ignore this celebration, however, because it took place right in front of our house.  This "convivio" was sponsored by our neighbor!  So, Saturday and Sunday night, none of us got much sleep, since the music and dancing went on well into the wee hours of the morning.

On Saturday, there were a number of parades.  I'm not quite sure what the purpose of these parades were, but the costumes were reminiscent of Halloween in the States, at its worst.  And, as with all celebrations, it seems, in Guatemala, there were fireworks and "bombas" (M-80's ?).  Again, right outside our front door.

The wall just to the left of the stage
is the wall of our living room!

Talk about "back stage passes"

Sunday was a bit calmer, though I returned from a trip to the airport to find a full stage set up in front of our house.  You could just barely get in the doorway!  I discovered there was to be a rock concert literally three feet away from our living room window.  What I didn't know, however, was that the group, The Ranas (Frogs) is very famous here in Guate.  Guess we should feel privileged that they waved at us as we watched them from one of the bedroom windows!  Actually, though, their music was pretty good.

I don't quite know what to make of all these celebrations, except that it is becoming increasingly clearer to me the influence of the Mayan religion on many of the people here who claim to be Catholic or even Christian (there is a distinction here that is not made in the States).  There is a strong cultural tradition driving the way these days are celebrated that has nothing to do with the religious beliefs of those participating.  They do it for "fun."

If it sounds like I'm being critical of the Guatemalan customs, I'm really not--at least not any more than they are causing me to re-evaluate the way we Americans celebrate many things.  Those of us in the church don't want to admit it, but how many of us feel the need to have alcohol be part of any major celebration? (I'm not condemning those who drink alcohol--only raising the question of why this is a tradition with many of us.)  Why do we over-eat at many of our holidays?  Why do we over-spend, especially at this time of year?  Why do we run ourselves ragged trying to make Christmas "perfect?" 

I've done a lot of reflecting this year on how we celebrate the coming to earth of our Savior. . .and, unfortunately find that much of what I do has little to do with my faith in Him.  Maybe it even distracts me from considering what it really meant for the Lord, God of the universe to be willing to put on one of these frail "skin suits" and become a totally helpless baby. As I read in a devotion the other day:  "The Lord of both worlds [the spiritual and the tangible] descends to live by the rules of one."  So, as I prepare to celebrate Christmas in a different culture, I'm attempting to celebrate it with a somewhat different attitude.  No, I won't give us baking cookies and making candy.  Or buying and wrapping presents.  But I've resolved to take at least one afternoon away from the busyness to spend time with Him Who is the Cause of our celebration.