Christmas Eve in Ecuador

I had a very different Christmas Eve from what I usually have (if you do not count the last two Christmases, where I was abroad as well, but this was the first Christmas without my Danish family).

During the day of Christmas Eve I baked Danish Christmas cookies, because I was supposed to bring something for participating in Christmas Eve with my host family.

The Christmas Eve was held the same place as the Novena and when we arrived the rest of the participants were walking up the road, while singing along to a religious song.
And proving that Ecuadorians are locos (crazy)! They decided to fire fireworks, while everybody was standing a meter away! And they did it a couple of times.
Afterwards we had the last Novena where a cross made out of candles put an end to our preparations.

For dinner we had the most delicious food I have had during my stay in Ecuador: A whole roast pig made in a clay/stone oven. And 15 or 20 whole roast chickens.

The Christmas Eve also featured the birthday of my host dad's mother, a piñata (but apparently they did not use a club to break the piñata, but the bottom was thorn open and the children formed a circle around it to catch the candy) and dancing until 4.30 (!) in the morning.

I thought Christmas Eve would end up being a hard time for me in Ecuador, but it was an amazing experience that will forever put a contrast to what I see as a "normal" Christmas. And forever the day of the 24th could either be Christmas Eve or navidad.

Feliz navidad!

Sharing my cookies and participating - you had to go around and offer everybody something from the plate
Jeg deler mine småkager og deltager - man gik rundt og tilbød alle noget fra tallerkenen.

The room
"Rummet" hvor vi holdt jul.

The cross
Korset

And now with light.
Og nu med lys

Piñata

Piñata

After the piñata
Efter piñataen

A whole-roast pig!
Helstegt pattegris

Dancing the entire night!
Danser hele natten

Jeg havde en meget anderledes juleaften end normalt (hvis man ikke tæller de to sidste, hvor jeg har været udenlands) og min første jul uden min familie.

I løbet af juleaftensdag bagte jeg julesmåkager, som jeg medbragte til vores fejring af juleaften.

Vores juleaften blev afholdt det samme sted som vi afholdt novena og da vi ankom, var der en procession op af gaden mod huset, imens der blev sunget en religiøs sang.
Og jeg fik også beviset for at ecuadorianere er locos (skøre). De besluttede sig for at affyre fyrværkeri en meter væk fra alle - flere gange!
Efterfølgende blev den sidste novena afholdt og vores forberedelser blev afsluttet med et kors lavet ud af stearinlys.

Middagen bestod af det lækreste mad jeg har fået i Ecuador! En helstegt pattegris og helstegte kyllinger lavet i en sten/lerovn.

De resterende ingredienser til en juleaften i Ecuador: Min værtsfars mors fødselsdag, en piñata (der dog ikke blev smadret med et bat, men blev revet åben, hvorefter alle børnene samlede sig i en cirkel for at gribe slikket) og vi dansede indtil 4.30 (!) næste dag.

Jeg troede at juleaften ville blive min sværeste aften i Ecuador, men jeg havde en fantastisk oplevelse og det vil for altid give mig noget at sammenligne min "normale" juleaften med. Og den 24. vil altid stå som en dag, der kan enten være juleaften eller navidad.

Feliz navidad!