PARTY PARTY PARTY!!

Giron, the town I live in has been non-stop parties. This week is the last week for a few weeks before they start in on the holidays. This week makes week #6!

Every night, no exception, for 6 weeks. Fireworks nightly. Dancing. Parades, drinking, food stands. Horses and traditional costumes. Strange dress-up costumes like mardi-gras… 12 feet tall with funny heads. Some times people wearing masks (Anonymous masks are popular!) A couple of nights were rock and roll concerts. Starting no later than 4 pm, and going until 1 AM on slow days, and when it’s really wild, ends around 5 AM. Every day. Did I mention it is EVERY day? the reason? “Senior de Giron”. In truth not many really know the story. Best I can make out was that sometime in the last 2000 years, Jesus made a pit stop here. I notice that many villages and towns in Ecuador compete with various religious claims. Loja has a huge celebration, with a pilgrimage walk that goes for days. Why? They say they had a Virgin mother there. Try to set aside the obvious jokes, please.

One of the reasons I moved to this town is that everyone seems really calm and very happy. You can see kids and adults both playing practical jokes on the street. just today I saw a guy watering plants outside the church decide to turn his hose on a passing taxi. Everyone had a good laugh. I see school kids hiding things in another’s backpack. Smiles all over the place. Maybe people this happy NEED 6 weeks of parties! And we aren’t even into the real holidays yet!
Each week is sponsored by one or more patrons I learned. They save all year to set up various events and supply food, drink, etc. I am told that when it is all over, they vote for the best week, and He or they gets bragging rights until next year.

So tonight’s party is two blocks from my house. Loudspeakers announcing some dancing, food and huge vats of “mote”. Oh.. something else… If you walk around town in the morning, right up until noon, you will find bodies here and there spread across steps and sidewalks, passed out and snoring from the previous night. No one bothers them. No police to chase them away, and people out walking step around them very politely.

I used to think I could party. That I had party friends once. I thought spring break was something else. Now I have learned they are all AMATEURS! SO if you are ever in the urge to chase guinea pigs around a corral, or dance in the streets, You know where to go.