Thursday, January 1, 2009

Prospero Año Nuevo


And a happy new year to all! New Year's Eve in Antigua is an amazing experience - the streets full of families and friends, a joyful community celebration. I'm annoyed that I left my camera in the hotel, but the link above will give you a taste. We delighted in Las Abuelitas, a group dressed as old women with an amazing variety of masks (including three ancient nuns in full habit), in Los Gigantes, dancing on stilts as the New Year came in, and in the fireworks. Fireworks in the sky, but also dancers wearing bull's bodies or wings of fireworks, the fireworks exploding as they danced. Definitely would not be allowed in the USA for all those valid concerns about safety, but what a wonderful sight. We went to Mass at 10 PM with the fireworks booming outside, then continued celebrating with the crowd until it became so crowded that we had to very slowly worm our way out, hoping that no-one panicked. Luckily we arrived safely back at our hotel, happy to be in 2009.

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