KB in Honduras: Navidad

This year was my first Christmas away from home/family, and it sure was different. They do not follow the same traditions, such as stockings, or Santa Claus, or presents under the tree. In Honduras, they celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve, and use Christmas Day as a day of (much needed) rest. The 24th started out as a normal Saturday, Xiomara opened her shop and my host-brothers played a lot of video games. Then after lunch, the real cooking started. People were dressing their roasted pigs, making tamales, and roasting chickens. (I learned how to make tamales, from real banana leaves!) Then around 6/7pm everyone started going out in the streets and chatting with neighbors, eating food at friend's houses, looking at people's nacimientos, and setting off fire-crackers. My family decided to meet back up at home at 10pm to exchange presents, but everyone else in town was still out in the streets. Normally no one exchanges presents, but since I am here this year and had presents for everyone, they decided to pick up that American tradition this one time. Exchanging presents was a very emotional hour for us all. My host-dad started with a prayer and then thanking me for my time in Honduras. He then asked every family member to say something to/about me, like why they are thankful for me. I was struggling not to cry the entire time, but then when my little 12 year old brother started to talk I kind of lost it. He said, "She is a good teacher..." (he is in my English class), and then he just broke down crying, and I did too, and it was really sad and difficult. I have definitely gotten very close to him, and I'm his nice big sister who gives him little presents and defends him from his brothers. I think leaving Manuel will be the most difficult because he is so sensitive. But anyway, we exchanged presents and I realized how well my host-family already knows me. They gave me chocolate, nail polish and earrings, and my host-grandparents gave me a Honduran quilt which I have wanted for months. Very generous. :)

After presents, we went back out visiting and waited for midnight to roll around. At midnight everyone uncovered the Baby Jesus in their nativity scenes and set off fire crackers and fire works. The entire month of December everyone has set off fire crackers, but at midnight on Christmas Eve, it was like the world was exploding. After hugging everyone in the streets and wishing them a Feliz Navidad, my family rushed to the town social center where we were helping to host the big town Christmas party. My uncles' band, New Combo '75, was playing for the party, so my host-parents were in charge of selling tickets and drinks. The party was from midnight until 5am, and for those five hours, I stood behind the barred window and sold beer while everyone danced the night away. I had been up since 6am, so I still don't know how I made it that entire time, but it was actually really fun. I was with my family and Leti, and during slow beer-selling moments, they danced with me and tried to teach me various Honduran dances. We made it home around 5:30am and all collapsed in bed. I slept until about 10:30am and was the first to get up in my house. When they said the 25th was a day of rest, they weren't kidding. There was almost no one in the streets all day, and my host parents went back upstairs and took a 4 hour nap in the afternoon. All I did was take a super short walk around the block and draw outside on my grandparents' porch. It is weird spending Christmas Day in shorts and flip flops, outside in the sun, doing nothing. I'm pretty sure this weekend will be another repeat in celebration of New Years.

The lora holding eating a piece of banana that she is holding with her foot.

Remember the pig that grew up in my backyard, that I witnessed being killed and roasted before Christmas? Here is one of it's feet on my kitchen counter. I'm never eating off that plate again.

Our Christmas tree with presents! Very American.

Elda showing Leti how to properly stir the dough for the tamales.

I got to stir too!

This is our pila outside in the back of the house. That barred window up in the right corner is my bathroom window.

Elda making sure the fire is going for the tamales.

First we scoop dough onto a banana leaf, then we put a little piece of meat, then some rice, then some platano, then some mixed vegetables like potatoes, carrots, green beans, and cabbage, and then we fold it all up in the leaf.

This is the folding up part.

Oh yes, I made tamales.

I was nervous about the folding part, but I did it perfectly!

All of the tamales (70) cooking in a big bin.

My brother Edwin... always eating.

Cousin Carlos and cousin Mirita

Taking out a tamales after two hours to see if it is finished.

It is finished!

All 70 cooked tamales!

Risa, the JICA volunteer, playing Christmas songs on the violin in our shop.

My host-parents and I with Risa in the shop.

Me, Risa, Manuel, my host-mom

A little glimpse of the crazy store...

Me and cousin Cleisy with sparklers

Throwing those little fire crackers on the ground that pop and spark when they land...

Not so good at it, but practicing

You can kind of see the little spark!

The Volcano

A neighbor's nacimiento.

This house was INSANE. Could barely walk in because it was overflowing . The Christmas tree next to the nacimiento....

Continuation of the same nacimiento as above... I won't even try to describe it.

At a different neighbor's house.

Outside my host-grandparents' house lighting sparklers.

My host-grandmother, cousin Erik, host-mom Xiomara, me, uncle Roger, host-grandfather, aunt Dinora, and Risa.

Opening presents.

The pretty shirt my host-parents gave me.

Opening presents (Leti was with us because she is like part of the family.)

The framed photo I gave to my host-mom that made her cry...

Arguing about who is taller.

Putting on the pretty earrings that Edwin gave me :)

He and Leti are laughing at my excitement... they aren't fully used to my Katherine-ness

Very excited about the Honduran quilt, I have wanted one since I got to this country!

Manuel started crying again when he gave me my present :(

Me and my brothers.

My host-grandparents' house.

A Christmas cake, and I realized I should take a picture to always remind myself of how oddly they cut cakes here. They cut around it in circles, not slices....