Ecuador 7/23/2023 |
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Sunday, July 23, 2023 - Sisa's QuinceañeraWe woke up at 8 a.m. That's also what time Yupanki and Antonio got home from last night's gig! They would be tired today! It's a good thing that Sisa came home at 10 o'clock last night so that she could at least get some rest before her big day.There was still no running water this morning, so we took sponge baths. Friends and neighbors came to the house with buckets of water to assist with cooking for the party. (Running water goes out from time to time, and people prepare for it by filling their outdoor sinks with water, filling water tanks, etc. So although nobody in the community had running water today, some of them had water reserves that they could contribute). Aida and Sisa helped me to get dressed. The elaborate Otavaleña dress for women is way too complicated for me to dress myself, as it involves two layers of wrap-around skirts ("anakos") which have no fasteners except for two woven belts ("mama chumbi" and "wawa chumbi") which are cinched tightly around the waist. These must be very precisely positioned, because if your under layer sticks out at all below the top layer of anako, it is an indication that you are a loose woman on the prowl. So I always need lots of help! They tied a sash ("fachalina") over one shoulder, and it covered part of my new blouse. They wrapped my hair in a woven hair tie ("cinta"). They put my necklace ("walca") around my neck, and wrapped long strands of coral beads ("maki watana") around my wrists. I wore espadrilles on my feet, and a piece of cloth ("uma watarina")on my head. It was a process! Craig got dressed in his white shirt, white pants, poncho, and hat. The men's clothing is a lot simpler! Cousin Celestina came over to help Sisa with her makeup and hair. We were surprised that the yard gave no hint that there would be a party here in an hour or two. There was no tent, no chairs...it just looked like any other normal day. The car was supposed to come at 10:30 to take us to the 11 o'clock Mass in Cotacachi. It arrived at 10:50. They still weren't ready. Craig and I were seated in the car waiting for the others to arrive. The driver joked that gringos are always on time and Ecuadorians are always late. They were finally ready, and Sisa squeezed into the front seat of the car with her huge petticoat. There wasn't even time to take photos of her at the house because we were running so late. Aida, Nena, and Kuri squeezed into the back seat with Craig and myself. Antonio would be following later on his motorbike. Yupanki and Shina had stayed home (Yupanki to try to get a little bit of rest, and Shina to help with preparations). It was a mad dash to the church and the driver leaned on the horn several times to get us there as quickly as possible. We pulled up in front of the Iglesia La Matriz and hopped out of the car. I quickly snapped a couple of photos of Sisa in the sunshine before we headed up the stairs. She looked beautiful. Our little girl was all grown up. We entered the large carved wooden doors of the church at 11:05 to find that the church was absolutely packed. There was nowhere to sit. The deacon came out and led us up to a bench at the side of the altar. Aida was worried that Antonio wouldn't know where to find us when he arrived, but the deacon made sure to fetch him and bring him up to where we were seated. The Mass was very nice, and the priest called Sisa up during the homily. Then he had her kneel and blessed her, and had Antonio, Craig, myself, and Aida bless her as well. The priest gave us hugs during handshake time. Then after Mass, he blessed us with holy water. He and the deacon couldn't have been nicer and more welcoming. After Mass, we got a bunch of photos in front of the church. We and some others got a camioneta back to the house. We were led to the back yard, which had been transformed since we left. Chairs had been delivered and were set up between the house and the guest houses. A nice little head table had been set up next to our casita, along with some quinceañera decorations. There was no tent, but the weather was sunny, and the roof overhang provided some shade. Unlike previous baptism and confirmation parties, this one was on a Sunday. Because of this, it was an afternoon party, and wouldn't go on until the wee hours of the morning. There was also much less alcohol consumed than at nighttime parties. The crowd was smaller too, mainly family and close friends. Chasqui Ñan, Antonio's traditional Andean musical group, provided the music. They also had a dj set-up to play some recorded music. A beautiful cake (5 round tiers plus a rectangular cake) was delivered. It was decorated with pink frosting as well as red and white roses and baby's breath. As Shina's birthday had been the previous Wednesday, the cakes were for both Sisa and Shina. The large rectangular cake had Sisa's name on it, and one of the round tiers had Shina's. There was a receiving line, and Craig and I took the presents from Sisa and piled them around the cakes at the head table. Nena was playing with another little girl around her age. At one point I caught Nena with frosting all over her face, and I noticed that one of the cakes had its frosting disturbed. When I confronted her, she just pointed at her friend. The friend had a look of "I didn't do it!" and I told Nena that I could see the frosting on HER face, not her friend's. Her response was to point at her friend again. We had maize soup, chorizo, chicken, potatoes, mote, steak, and cheese for lunch. While we ate, Sisa asked Craig if he would dance with her. Craig said that he doesn't know how to dance, and asked what type of dance she meant. "A waltz," was her reply. Craig DEFINITELY doesn't know how to waltz. He asked her if she knows how, and she admitted that she doesn't. He said that he would absolutely dance with her if she wanted to, but she would have to be patient with him. And it wouldn't be a waltz. Craig and I joked with one another that we had no idea what was going to happen at any given time during this party. We were flying by the seats of our pants. We said that "Yakety Sax" (the theme song from Benny Hill) should be the theme song for this party. Sisa plays the sax; maybe she could learn it? We got a good laugh out of this thought. After lunch, Chasqui Ñan played rousing Andean music, and Craig and Sisa danced in traditional Otavaleño style. Then I joined in. Soon Chasqui Ñan encircled us and danced around us. Others joined in as well, including Aida and Abuelita. Nena came and grabbed my hand and we danced together. After the dancing, Sisa gave a speech. She spoke in both English and Spanish, thanking us for coming to her party, and saying how she wants to come to the United States and take care of us as we age. All of us were in tears by the end of her moving speech. I was asked to speak, and said that we are so honored that the family offered to "share Sisa with us" as compadres thirteen years ago when we first visited. I also thanked the community for welcoming us with open arms. Sisa translated my words into Spanish. Then it was time for the non-waltz slow dance. Craig was feeling a bit unsteady on his feet due to his MS, so he needed to keep his cane with him. They played some recorded music and they slow danced together. Then I was encouraged to join in, which I did. Next, Craig had to replace Sisa's girlish flip flops with wedge espadrilles, signifying that she was entering into womanhood. Aida had been carrying these espadrilles around since Mass this morning, and we hadn't realized why. Craig was happy to participate in this ritual, but the espadrilles had long pink ribbons attached to them. Aida had to show him how to wrap the ribbons around Sisa's ankles and tie them. After the more serious aspects of the party, it was now time to let loose and have some fun. Time for the party games. Craig and I looked at one another in disbelief and started to laugh as they actually played "Yakety Sax" as a soundtrack to the games. It was a complete coincidence, as noone had heard our prior conversation. People had balloons tied to their ankles and had to step on one another's balloons to pop them. Then they had couples who had to pop a balloon between them without using their arms. Much laughter ensued. Then it was time for cake. We sang happy birthday to Sisa, she blew out a candle, and then, as per tradition, her face was smashed into the frosting of one of the round tiers. Yupanki got her good, and she staggered backwards with a faceful of frosting and a big smile. Next, it was time to do the same for Shina. Craig, Sisa, and I symbolically cut the first slice of the large rectangular cake. Then Aida's cousin Delia took over. She cut ridiculously huge slices for Craig, Sisa, Shina, and me. We were all laughing at the size of the pieces that we were served. The cake was absolutely delicious (vanilla cake with pineapple cream filling between the layers), but Craig and I couldn't finish it. We put the remainder of our slices in our casita to eat at a later time. At around 5:15 p.m., everyone departed. It was refreshing to have a daytime party here, rather than the usual parties which last all night long. Before it got dark, we cleaned up the yard. Then we went into the house where Sisa opened her presents. Most of the presents were geared toward young womanhood - kitchen supplies, perfume, clothing. Our gifts, however, were not utilitarian. Sisa's favorite band is the K-Pop group BTS, and she has a huge crush on one of the members named Jungkook. When we were here for her confirmation party last year, all she could talk about was BTS. She wished her confirmation cake and balloons were BTS-themed. She wished that Jungkook could perform at her party. She wants to visit South Korea. Having been a young girl with musical crushes myself back in the day, I thought that we absolutely had to make our quinceañera gifts to her BTS-themed. BTS merch is a lot easier to come by in the U.S. than it is in Ecuador. So we bought her a Jungkook Funko Pop, a box of BTS goodies (stickers, trading cards, lanyard, etc.) and a BTS T-shirt. We made the right choice, and she absolutely loved the gifts. We sat in the kitchen for a while until 7:45 p.m., when they were all exhausted and needed to go to bed. We came back to the casita and I typed up notes from the day. There is still no water, but we had made it through the party. However, tourists are coming to stay overnight tomorrow. That could be problematic! |
 Sisa entering Iglesia La Matriz  Achi Taita, Sisa, the priest, Aida, and Achi Mama '  Sisa and Kuri  Achi Mama, Sisa, and Achi Taita arriving at the party  The head table, with cakes and presents  Shina, Sisa, and Yupanki  Preparing to blow out the candle  Shina's huge slice of cake See all photos from July 23 |
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