La Asuncion fiestas 2007
Every year, all the schools in the Valle Hermoso area have a sports day. The kids from La Asuncion travel to Valle Hermoso for a parade, a madrina (godmother) of sports competition, and best sports outfit contest. Here are some of the kiddos looking bored while they wait for the results of one of the contests.
These three were the judges for the madrina competition. Here they are consulting with one another to pick the winner.
Evelyn was our candidate for the madrina competition. Unfortunately she didn´t win, but she didn´t seem too bummed about it.
The La Asuncion fiestas started the same day as the sports day. On Friday night, there was a parade with decorated cars, a beauty pageant for the queen of the church, a dance competition, and a baile (dance). A lot of extended family members come for the fiestas. Leonor is posing with her mom and nephew in this photo.
My photos are out of order, sorry about that! This kid is supposed to be a mascot for one of the schools, I think. I loved his bear costume with the little bowtie.
This dog was all decked out as the mascot for one of the schools. He was even wearing sunglasses!
Here´s the sports outfit for the La Asuncion elementary school. In case you can´t read it, the logo says Robert Kennedy Escuela. They really love the Kennedys in Ecuador!
The elementary school kids performed two dances for the dance competition. This was their traditional number.
These are the contestants for the queen of the church beauty pageant. This pageant wasn´t as exhaustive as the elementary school beauty pageant; all these contestants had to do was walk around the volleyball court/dance floor. The elementary school candidate, Ruth, is on the left. She won the elementary school pageant last year. She didn´t win this competition. I think the girl in the pink dress won (this was in September, and I already forgot!)
Another photo of one of my favorite kiddos, Sylvia, posing with Ruth and the elementary school dancers behind.
One of the dance groups walking in the parade. I think they won for best dance.
This dog fell asleep right on the dance floor, oblivious to everything else going on around him. He even got covered with rose petals, and didn´t move at all!
Here´s Johanna, the kindergarten/preschool teacher, performing a traditional dance from the Amazon.
The morning after the big baile/fiesta, some of the townspeople got up early to walk with the town´s statue of the Virgin from the highway back into the town. The statue is driven out to the main road and then carried back into town followed by a parade of people. As we walked, we said prayers and this woman would occassionally throw rose petals on the statue.
Here we are following the statue. It took 4 people to carry it! And it was a long walk too, about 4.5 km.
Whoops, here´s a photo from the baile. Belkis and her cousin Jennifer did a little reggeaton dance number. Belkis was practicing tipping her hat (I think that´s the right phrase for it).
Belkis curtsying with the hat and Jennifer trying to steal it from her =)
Jennifer and Belkis, dancing sensations!
After our march along the road, we brought the statue to the volleyball court where we stood in a circle around it, held hands, and said some more prayers.
It took a lot of people to get the statue safely on the ground!
Walking up a hill with the statue. This is one of the toughest hills on my bike ride. I´ve only been able to make it up one time! But I was very proud of myself after I accomplished that =)
This car stopped with us for a little and played some religious music.
After we brought the Virgin statue back into town, we all went to church. It was a big service; there was a wedding and several baptisms. Here´s the priest baptizing one of the little boys. Some of kids really didn´t like getting their heads wet and they started crying!
As I probably mentioned earlier, I don´t think it is safe to wear my engagement ring in Ecuador. So I bought myself some $1 engagement rings in Otavalo. I wear my ring every day, so now I have a nice tan line on my ring finger. It´s like my bond to Pierre is now etched into my skin. It was either that or a tattoo that reads "Pierre and Ariana 4 EVA".
The big kiss at the end of the wedding ceremony!
The pews were decorated with a white rose and a bow made out of toilet paper. Simple, and it worked!
Jennifer and one of her cousins were the flowergirls for the wedding.
As the bride and groom walked down the aisle for the first time as husband and wife, all the church goers pelted them with rice. It didn´t seem very pleasant for them! You can see some of the rice grains stuck in the bride´s hair in this picture.
The flowergirls also did not like getting hit with grains of rice. Here they are trying to ward off incoming rice grains.
You can just see a shower of rice grains falling behind the bride in this photo.
A tot all tuckered out after the baptism ceremony.
A prayer was said with the whole family after the baptism of each kid.
Here´s Chochi, Evelyn, and Sylvia playing with a kitten after the church service. These little girls are regulars at my Saturday kids´ club meetings.
Lisbeth, I can´t remember this girl´s name, and Sylvia striking a pose.
Lisbeth and her older sister Ana.
After the ceremony, the bride and groom stood in the doorway of the chuch and were serenaded by a band. They sang about 3 or 4 songs.
This was a sign from one of the other schools that participated in sports day in Valle Hermoso. I had to take a picture of this sign for obvious reasons. =)
I forgot the name of the little boy who is carrying the school´s banner with Cesibel. Cesibel is great. We once played this photosynthesis game where the kids had to put together little slips of paper representing water and carbon dioxide to form glucose and oxgen during the day. Cesibel was my sun; she had a sun on her chest and the moon on her back. She would flip around periodically and the kids would have to stop photosynthesizing whenever it was night. She made a great sun, and the kids seemed to have fun with the game.
Another shot of the La Asuncion kids in the Valle Hermoso parade. You can see the Catholic church in Valle Hermoso behind them.
This dog looked so cute, and he didn´t even seem to mind wearing this outfit!
posted by Unknown @ Friday, November 30, 2007
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