This Peruvian Life: Bajada de Reyes

Following my wonderful trip to Ecuador I was whisked into the festivities of Three Kings Day (January 6th) in Pimentel. Last year I played the Virgin Mary and one of my best friends played my Joseph. Before leaving for the states my host family approached me to ask if I would once again be their Virgin Mary. To be completely honest I really didn't want to, with my friend gone and lack of male volunteers to fill the role, I just didn't feel like being the token gringa for the day but I told my family I would think about. Well I did just that and I realized it would have been very selfish of me to not proceed as Virgin Mary, this event is very important to my host family, they spend months planning and I knew that they really wanted me for the part so right before leaving I shared the news with them that I would be their Mary. For the days leading up to January 6th, the dancers rehearsed in the street outside of my host mother's home far into the night. Here's a little clip of them rehearsing.

My host family arranged for the band involved in the parade and our skit to eat breakfast and lunch with a few members of the family and me. Here we are post breakfast-the band members doing a short number for those working in the restaurant.

One of my host brothers dancing with one of the servers

After returning home, I relaxed in my room for a little while before we ventured out again with the band to eat lunch. I recall enjoying what I ate but I remember the most is the amount of beers they served us and per Peruvian culture it is rude to turn down drinks, needless to say I was a little tipsy at lunchtime that day, thankfully it wore off quickly-it was hot that day and I was guzzling water so I wouldn't fry in my Mary costume.

host family dancing at lunch

Shortly after lunch we began to walk the parade route around Pimentel. This year I was not asked to carry the baby around (thank God-my arms hurt so bad last year!) and the route was shorter.

Joseph and I

dancers leaded by Three Kings

rock star Virgin Mary

We arrived at the end of the route to be judged on our skit, we had to wait a couple hours because there were other groups ahead of us.

hanging out with my host mom before the judging

waiting...

getting ready for the skit

When the skit began, the lead male dancer attempted a fire breathing trick. He lit a piece of cloth at the end of stick on fire then his mask caught fire and it took him a disturbing amount of time to put it out, I looked around the crowd-some people looked jovial and others worried, those who with smiles on their faces assumed that it was part of the trick and I asked "Joseph" (brother in law of one of my host nieces) who was standing next to me if that was supposed to happen and he claimed it was but I remained skeptical.

crowd watching botched fire breathing trick

While we waited for the results I stood with my host mother and my host sisters; the moment the judges announced our street "Calle Santa Rosa" as the winner there was an explosion of cheers from all around me, I wish I could bottle up all the energy that happened at that single moment and keep it with me as a talisman forever-it felt that wonderful. I watched as tears streamed from my host mother's face and the dancers jumped up and down with joy, all of the participants and host family, gleefully danced our way back to my host mother's home to celebrate. What's the big deal you ask? Well, in the whole wide range of things it really isn't but I think Peruvians understand more than Americans that it's the little things that count and in that moment it did. Later I saw the dancer the who's mask caught fire, he had some minor burns on his face but he was in as good as mood as every one else.