First Night, 2011

The party last night was, um, loud and continuous. We didn't sleep, got up very early today, had a long hike uphill in the cold. So, we did what any sane person would do: took a short nap! Afterwards, we walked up the hill for the sunset, the color of the theater's west side was beautiful in the last sun.

Is my hair really that grey in the front?













There is a beautiful, old Italian style building on one side of the Parque Central, and we noticed there is an outside bar/restaurant upstairs. We decide to have our daily sunset beer up there, and enjoy the view. What luck! We get two stools at the rail, order a beer, and decide to order a salad to share. This salad was intended as an opener, for one person! It was delicious, all local veggies, and fresh cheese crumbled on top.










As we ate, a loud eruption of fireworks sounded, set off in the opposite side of the Parque. We figured something had gone wrong with the leftovers from last night's party, then heard music. It's a posada, a parade! The huge procession of beautifully dressed women, wearing their best skirts and shawls, all of them hold candles makes it's way verry slowly around the block. They are followed by other groups of people, some in formal regional clothes, some in elaborately embroidered costumes with animal heads on their heads, dancing wildly with more fireworks going off at regular intervals. There is a large band, and more marchers and dancers of all ages. It's too early for Day of the Kings (Jan 6), and the man sitting beside me doesn't speak Spanish, only a Mayan dialect. It's too dark now for pictures, but this one is not too terrible....The huge lighted float is made of wood. It's carried by 36 men, marching in perfect step with each other, in time with the music. They are led by two lines of women with white head coverings., the animal-dancers in the middle of them, and the entire group lined with men in American-style suits and ties. Stuart and I can only guess that it's yet another mixture of some ancient Mayan religious ceremony and christianity.
Just as I was trying to figure out how the float carried by the 36 men was lighted, I see the generator, long cord attached to the float, following.

We can't believe our luck with the seats, able to see the entire parade, even if I can't get any good pics. We finished our salad and beers, and I dashed down, in hopes of getting through the crowds to get one close picture. I'm very tall, compared to everyone else in Guatemala, and this is as close as I can get. The crowd is happy, not festive but reverent and subdued, even with the loud fireworks and marching band.

We're leaving tomorrow, heading for Antigua. Xela is a lovely town, but we're cold, and need to find someplace warm. As much as our friend Pablito loves Xela, we don't feel the same attachment here.  It's a beautiful city, and we've enjoyed our stay here.