Feliz Navidad!

¡Feliz Navidad!

We have been preparing for Christmas here and I love it! One thing I was a little disappointed about was on Guadete Sunday here (the third Sunday of Advent) the priest does not wear pink vestments … that’s always one of my favorite parts of this season; remembering this is the joyful Sunday because the birth of Jesus is almost here! We came home from a weekend trip to Otavalo to a very festive, Christmasy house: a nativity set up in the chapel, our doors decorated like giant presents and other little ornaments here and there! It’s fantastic and makes me want to sing Christmas carols and drive around looking at Christmas lights! We have also been singing Christmas carols with the kids.

In Otavalo we had a great time enjoying the indigenous market; we were really fortunate to arrive on Saturday when the whole town basically becomes a giant street market and all the surrounding indigenous people come to sell their unique products. There was everything from alpaca sweaters, to jewelry, pottery, purses, toys and lots of traditional foods. After bargaining with the locals to get some good deals, we ventured on to the nearby village of Peguche. This indigenous village is known for its weaving and we walked through a couple of weaving shops, although no one was inside (a little creepy, we let ourselves in and looked at all the wall hangings etc., walked through the workshop/house even though we didn’t see anyone). Next we hiked up to the Cascada de Peguche (waterfall) and enjoyed a beautiful view of the mountains and pueblo. We came back to the town to the sound of fireworks and discovered a celebration for the completion of the local church. The next day we got an early start with 6:30 a.m. Mass in the beautiful Cathedral and then caught the bus to nearby Cotacachi. From here we traveled to Laguna Cuicocha (Guinea Pig Lake), so named for the island in the middle that apparently resembles the backs of two guinea pigs (it just sort of looked like two mounds to us!). The landscape was well worth it, and we hiked up a ways to get the view of the lake and surrounding countryside before taking a boat ride around the little island. We got a brief history lesson from our boat driver about how the lake is formed in a volcanic crater and saw where there were still gases coming up from underneath. Very informative! We decided to make an afternoon trek to see Parque Condor, a local wildlife refuge for rescued eagles, condors and other birds. This proved to be a bit more than we bargained for because we were on a time crunch to catch the bus back. We ended up arriving (after a 5K uphill country road hike) just in time for the flight demonstration. It was worth it! I even got to hold one of the smaller birds, with a leather glove of course! All in all, another great weekend, exploring a new place and getting to know a little more of this small but beautiful country. One thing that really struck us about the villages we visited were the people. They were so friendly, willing to help and really seemed pleased we had come to learn a little more about their culture and way of life. It was really beautiful to see such a strong tie to tradition, family and the heritage of the indigenous people. There were so many sights we wanted to capture on film, but couldn’t. The woman carrying her crops on her back that were almost longer than she was tall walking barefoot down the dirt road, the many shepherds almost lost among their sheep and cattle in the vast green fields, the long braids of all the men in the community and the children playing and chasing each other down the paths in between the fields. There’s just such a simplicity about their lifestyle, its wonderful to experience and be able to realize people still really do live like this.

On Wednesday began the novena (nine days of prayer) before Christmas. Here this is an awesome tradition where the community gathers and has a prayer/ catechism service each night to reflect on the birth of our Lord. They also have a tradition called the Posadas. During the posada the group processes from house to house asking to be allowed to stay in each posada (inn) at pre-chosen houses in the community and singing Christmas carols. At each house there is a brief reflection and meditation on some part of the nativity: Mary and Joseph, the journey, following the star etc. At the final stop, usually the church, when the posada song is sung, the people inside sing the last verse replying that they will allow Mary and Joseph to stay.

This weekend we had the school Christmas fiesta which began with a procession from the school about 10 blocks to the church. It was a traditional posada and we had incredible participation from the children and families. We ended with a program at the church and all of the kids dancing! They are really into dancing here, and I love it! The parents and children were dressed in amazing costumes: animal, shepherds, kings, angels and of course Mary and Joseph. It’s incredible to see the devotion and traditions of Ecuador celebrating the coming of our Lord. How incredible it is to reflect that He chose to become human like us, born of such a humble birth, to give us an example of how to live and ultimately to die for our sins. How beautiful is this time of advent that we can prepare our hearts for Jesus’ taking on our humanity and coming in the most unlikely way; I pray that you can prepare your hearts and minds to truly appreciate this sacrifice and that you can humbly come before our Lord this Christmas, with the simplicity, dependence and trust of a child, the same way He chose to come to us.

May you experience the peace and joy of the coming of Christ in your heart this Christmas and always,
April