December Holy-days

There have been so many fireworks going off around San Nicolas for the past few days that if I didn't know better, I would think the Evangelicals and Catholics had finally gone to war with each other. But this is not war – this is celebration. We were surprised to realize last December that people in this pocket of Nicaragua don't celebrate Christmas nearly as much as we do in the US. Instead of spending early December preparing for Christmas, San Nicolaseños spend it celebrating other holidays. Here are the two most important ones.

1. Las Fiestas Patronales (The Patron Saint Celebration, or San Nicolas Day) – December 5

We were woken up on December 5 at 4:30 in the morning to mariachi music and fireworks. We stumbled out of bed to turn on the lights, but the electricity was out. The day had already begun in true Nicaraguan fashion, we told each other grumpily. When we peered out into the dark streets to try to see the mariachi band strolling around town, all we could see were a few other people's flashlights down the street. Everything was dark.

Later we asked Maryluz, the woman at the parish who coordinates masses, if she had been woken up at 4:30 too. No, she told us. She had gotten up at 4 a.m. to start cooking food for the San Nicolas Day feast for the entire town. That put is in our place.

On December 5, San Nicolas celebrates its own unique holiday by holding a mass for over 500 people and subsequently feeding them all at different people's houses all around town. The bishop from the entire department comes to give the mass, and people wait on the edge of town with a mariachi band to greet him and escort him into town. A long procession snakes through town, with the bishop at its head, to the Catholic church, which overflows with people. People come from all of the 30ish tiny communities surrounding San Nicolas, some of them walking for hours to get there.

Many of these people have only a tiny plot of land and an adobe shack to their name, but they come bearing gifts nonetheless. When the bishop pulled up in his fancy pickup truck and got out, these people flocked to him, just wanting to grasp some shred of holiness from his touch. (It reminded me of the part in the Bible where everyone clamors for Jesus to perform a miracle, reaching out and touching him). Later, during the mass, they held an offering. A long line filed from the back of the church, and these same people, clutching sacks of beans and bags of oranges from their trees, brought them to the front of the church to give them to the bishop.

2. La Purisima (The Immaculate Conception) – December 8

The Purisima might be the biggest Nicaraguan holiday. It celebrates the immaculate conception of the Virgin Mary, and since Mary is the patron saint of Nicaragua and the Purisima tradition is somewhat unique to Nicaragua, it seems to be a thing of pride for many Nicaraguans. The Purisima represents not only a religious tradition, but Nicaraguan patriotism.

Just like the fiestas patronales, the Purisima also began with fireworks, though at a slightly later hour. And just like with the fiestas patronales, the fireworks were followed by a mass. (Mass seems to be the main way Catholic people celebrate any special occasion here in San Nicolas).

In other parts of Nicaragua – mostly in cities, I think – the Purisima celebrations are a bit more extravagant. It sounds kind of like Halloween. Kids go from house to house, and at each house people have set up alters to the virgin Mary. The kids sing a Purisima song and then the people at the house give them candy or fruit or a bag of beans.

Here, the Purisima celebrations all happen at mass. People come from distant communities, and kids seep out the doors of the Catholic church. Lots more people appear at the end of the mass, when things really get good. This year, a brass band from Esteli showed up and played music in a corner while the local mayors office handed out treats from huge cardboard boxes. They gave out candy, sugared squash, bananas, oranges, sugarcane, toys for the little kids, and lots of other things. As they are handing out candy, someone shouts, "Quien causa tanta alegria?" and the crowd responds, "La virgen Maria!" Each person totes home a bag with all this loot in it, and I imagine that for many of the people, this is the only time of year that they have access to such luxuries. Throughout the month of December, the Catholic church travels to lots of little communities in super-remote areas and repeats the Purisima at Catholic churches all over.

It's worth mentioning that both of these big holidays at the beginning of December are really only celebrated by Catholic people, who are an overall majority in this area, but certainly not the only denomination. We were curious what our Evangelical neighbor kids thought of the Purisima. Are they jealous of all the little Catholic kids who get these big bags of goodies? So after coming home from mass yesterday, we offered them one of our bags and, well-trained as they are, they politely declined. Tensions are high between Catholics and Evangelicals, but one thing can be said for both of them: they cling strongly to the religious beliefs that guide their lives and traditions.