I apologize... Anytime we cut & paste anything in this Blog, it screws up everything.
I happened to awake early so I saw Bella off in a cab to Hospital Monte Sinai very early this morning, needing to arrive by 6am. She is not very good under anesthetic so she does not want any visitors. First she is to call me when she comes out to let me know how things went. Then he is to get out on Friday and will just call me when she is ready to come home.
I was waffling on whether or not to
go to Gualaceo, a neighboring town, 30 kms away, but a 1-hour bus ride, for a
whole 60c. It was spitting rain and I
just missed the #15 so I almost turned around and went home, but knew I would
regret it if I did that.
I got to the big bus station, paid the dime to get through
the turnstile and got on the Gualaceo bus.
There were only 6 of us on the bus but he pulled out within 5 minutes
anyway. This is a real milk run as they
stop to pick up anyone with their arm out but we did get there around 9am.
Gualaceo weather seemed a little more stable as I made my
way to the town square, the market square, and the big church, on 3 adjacent
corners in the downtown. They were just
getting set up everywhere so I just kept going from one to the other.
To be honest, it was all pretty boring. The stage event started at 11am and was
highly religious with at least 20 priests on the stage. I got very tired of standing so I spent some
recuperation time in the church. They
were doing a brisk business selling candles at the door.
During the whole time I was there, amongst about 1,500
Ecuadorians, I never saw one other white face!!
I was the only token Gringo for the day, which I found really
surprising.
I had gone to Gualaceo because I had read the first part of
the following description of this festival, but maybe the rest was added later,
because I missed most of this stuff…. I
was tired and left around 1pm.
Sorry about the bad Google translation.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Gualaceo
Party in honor of "Patron Santiago
The
Festival takes place in the town of Gualaceo
Throughout
the month of July, especially on Sundays, the faithful of the surrounding areas
down to the people to express their devotion to the Saint, which according to
tradition and favors the devotees also reputed to be punitive. However, all scheduled events are held
on the 25th. [That was the part I
read].
Wardrobe
The Dancers
The
dancers set consists of four children: three bus-dance-dance and black.
•
The bus-dance carried on his head a multi-colored floral scarf, knotted either
forward or backward. About the
subject body and shoulders carry a cotton cloth dress, a white thin fabric,
this dress they call "saendilla" them falls to the knee and carries
at its lower edge lace. Another
piece is the "Manguilla" which is a short tunic that reaches only the
hip.
On
the back and the neck tied carry a "stick" of hanging ribbons of
various colors they call wings, and neck, tissue bucato of various colors. Also, one of them takes on the right
hand a brass bell in his left hand and a stick of chonta with floral panudo
moored in half.
•
The black-dance takes ordinary clothes with pant "rolled up" and with
his face and legs painted black with a frosting made from soot and lard.
Over
the head wearing a "chanter" or wig that consists of 14
"jimbas" or human hair braids and big back flowered handkerchief
interlining for litad and knotted, with tie neck front.In the hands holding two
sidings with a boss generally used when the dance, then beating each produce a
click. These sticks are called
"juanchillo".
All
dancers are barefoot and in their presentations interpret the following dances:
"Long Street", "Blackbird", "bull",
"Balance", "Juntiada", "Chirote wrapped", and
others.
The Old
They
are entertainers and jesters party. Their
number varies but generally usually occur a dozen of them. Do their share of group Quadrille, ie
if the latter interpreted Dance Ribbons, the Elders do the same, taking apart a
circle with a crooked stick in the center.
His
dress is varied and bizarre. They
generally take an old sack or casinete cashmere "long, large buttons,
pants and shirt current boots or shoes, some of them trimmed with leggings.
Their characteristic is the mask made of the same in" rags "and that
consists of a white cloth bag "snapper", that covers their entire
head and face being approached to shoulders.
On
their heads they wear "jimbas" or horsehair braid or twine, a whip in
the hands of lignum vitae with a rawhide beta of their men in the kind of
"shigra" or leather backpack, and a monkey on his back or
"chucurillo" stuffed to make people kiss.
The Quadrille
It
consists of a group of 18 people, adults, youth and children.All are presented
without a mask and are decked out in the following way:
On
the shoulders carry a green cloth bib with a mirror. On this layer "Saendilla". Common straw hat, also with a mirror
on its front, but two trilby wearing mirror plus a feather peacock. In the hand carrying a colorful
umbrella, the same as the spin when they dance.
During
the dances make "figures" or "work" to the sound of a brass
band. Among the tasks that run
under the direction of the "guides" are: the Curiquinga, the Painada,
Number Eight, and Braid Large.
The Pendoneros
The
Pendoneros form a kind of religious emblem used in the procession. It consists of a stick about a meter
long, which has at its upper end a sphere of setal and on this a cross, in the
bottom of the sphere, comes a white cloth that is choked once or twice creating
thus a rough spheres of about 20 cm. in
diameter, the Lysias not lose their shape by bringing in crumpled newspaper.
The
Pendoneras/Pendoneros and are dressed in their finest gowns and carrying the
banner with one hand, while with the other bearing a lighted candle.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The bus back to Cuenca was packed, standing room only, and
they continued to pick up stragglers along the road but then also many folks
got off early so most of the trip was full, but everyone was seated.
I myself thought I would be clever and get off closer to the
#3 bus on Gonzalez Suarez, I even asked 2 people if I was getting off in the
right place and they said yes… Wrong!!! After walking for another five miles, I saved
myself 25c and made it home on foot.
All told, I spent, 25c to get to the bus station, 10c to get
through the turnstile, $1.20 for the roundtrip on the bus, and $1 for a bag of
monstrous Timbits. Total trip cost
$2.55.
Whew!!! 5pm and I finally heard from Bella! I was just going to cab to the hospital to
see what was wrong but she says she was just conked out all day on
morphine. The surgery went very well and
she expects to be home tomorrow as planned.
All is good with the universe…………
That was the day's
excitement, Cheers, Al Please see all new photos at http://souvenircuenca.blogspot.com/
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