Christmas in Andahuaylillas

I'll be staying in my pajamas all day tomorrow so I'm posting Christmas greetings today. A very happy Christmas to you all. Whether it's a big day to you or not, I hope you spend it eating good food and enjoying the company of people you love. Here's what Christmas looks like in the Southern Andes of Peru...



On December 23 we hopped in the parish truck and drove to three different communities outside of Andahuaylillas to view their nacimientos (nativity scenes). Each year there is a competition for the best nacimiento. Two of the nacimientos were stunning works of art made with lots of live plants. The thrd was a live scene with children playing all the roles, including a live and crying baby Jesus. As Alfredo (a member of the parish staff and the head judge of the competiton) said at each community - the competition is for fun, but the important thing is the focus on the birth of Jesus in our towns and in our hearts. Christmas is about the excitement of the birth of a baby. A baby who is indisputable one of the most important historica figures. A Jewish baby who is, to the Christian world, the savior of humanity, the embodiment of a new covenant with the Big G.

After viewing the nacimientos, we picked up the confirmation class from Andahuaylillas and drove with Fr. Calilo (the pastor) to say mass at two communities. The two masses could not have been more different. The first mass ahd about 40 childrena dn 15 adults. It was chaotic at best. It was a constant struggle for Fr. Calilo to hold the children's attention. Two of the most memorable moments of that mass were one child asking Jesus for a bicycle and other children throwing things off the roof after communion. The second mass was mostly adults and very calm. Both masses were folloed by hot chocolate served by the confirmation class of Andahuaylillas.

Today, Christmas Eve, is a very relaxed day. There's not much to do except prepare for tomorrow. Jacqueline (JV) is preparing lasagna for tomorrow's dinner. Tonight we have mass at 10:30. I'm 90% sure mass will be followed by more hot chocolate at the Sister's house. Christmas Day itself will also be laid back. As I've mentioned before, it is a holiday, but not a big deal here in Peru. In our house we will have a total of 13 people (lots of guests from the States and Puerto Rico). There's no Christmas tree, and there aren't many presents. The JVs are playing secret Santa with a spending limit of 5 soles (less than 2 dollars).* But I think this simplicity allows us to focus more on the key parts of Christmas - the mass, sharing good food with others, and the night that marks the beginning of something radically new in the history of the relationship between the Divine and Humanity. I also think there's something special about celebrating the birth of Christ in rural communities outside of a small town like Andahuaylillas. It makes it a little easier to imagine the sights, sounds, and smells of the first Christmas.

*I'll expand upon money in a future post.