La Purisima

Once again our street was alive with celebration on the night of Dec. 7. La Purisima is the celebration of Mary's mother's conception of Mary, which according to Catholic doctrine was also by the Holy Spirit. Some people set up altars to Mary and invite people to come and sing. They then give away gifts such as oranges, rice, cups, bowls, sugar, toys, etc. to the singers. Other people go from street to street carrying sacks and little song books, collecting as much free stuff as they can. Fireworks add sporadic excitement, with particular pyrotechnic displays at 6 p.m. and again at midnight. The following videos show our neighbors' altar and the festivities, as well as part of the midnight fireworks. Simon slept through the whole thing...we're not quite sure how.

pre-dawn parade

We wrote last year about the Purisima, the biggest holiday celebration in Nicaragua. The Purisima celebrates Mary's conception (when her mother conceived her). The Purisima is on Dec. 7-8, but the nine days leading up to it are filled with pre-dawn celebrations that involve statues of the Virgin parading through neighborhoods, accompanied by crowds, brass bands, fireworks, and other assundry loud things. Sleep is impossible, so you might as well get up and see what all the racket is about.

Yesterday the Virgin passed by our house. The music started at 4:45 a.m., and our neighbors mingled and lit a few fireworks for about 45 minutes before the real action started. Around 5:30 several kids ran down the street shouting, "The Virgin is coming! The Virgin is coming!" Sure enough, several hundred people rounded the corner escorting a statue of the Virgin on a litter. Our next door neighbors brought out a huge painting of Mary so that the parading Mary could stop in and say hello. The videos capture a little bit of the fun on our street yesterday morning.