Christmas in Perú

Mi Familia Peruana!

My favorite part of the Peruvian culture – the family values – especially shone this as this holiday season approached. Here, there’s little stress of the commercial side of the American Christmas as we know it- the gift giving is kept to a minimum, and the emphasis is simply on spending time with family. My family draws names every year for an “Amigo secreto” (or secret Santa), and this is the only gift each person is expected to give.

In the holiday season, “Chocolatadas” are popular here – small parties to eat paneton (Peruvian fruit cake –actually really delicious!) and drink hot chocolate. We had one at the colegio before the students had their summer break, which was a lot of fun!

Paneton - Yum!

Christmas decorations seemed a little out of place at first for this Alaskan, as it’s summertime here. Some people use lights or garland, and most have a small fake Christmas tree. The centerpiece of the decorations is the nativity scene, which is large, multi-leveled and usually involves at least 40 farm animals! (plus your random giraffe, lion, etc.)

Nativity Scene at Mi Casa

The work Christmas party for the clinic was quite the event in itself. It began with a large group sitting in a circle singing Christmas songs together. Then we went to a special mass together, which was followed by a cena – turkey, and of course paneton. Entertainment during the dinner included a choreographed dance by the nurses in santa hats, a guitar performance, many photos, and of course the secret Santa gift exchange.

Nurse Dance

As for Christmas Eve, I was told that there are generally two types of celebrations – 1) a low-key dinner and evening in with the family, ending pretty early or 2) a large family party that begins at mid-night and lasts all night long! My family never lets me down- they, of course, are the type to have the latter.

The celebrations began with a 2-hour mass. The mass on Christmas Eve was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced in the Catholic Church. In particular, in place of a homily, the baby Jesus was placed in the large decorated nativity scene. However, before this happened, everyone in the church stood in line to kiss the forehead of a small baby doll. And at the end of the mass, out came a disco ball, flashing lights, balloons, and a giant Santa to sing “Happy Birthday” to Jesus!

Back at the house, all sorts of relatives began filing in. At the strike of midnight, everyone ran around for hugs and “Feliz Navidad,” almost like a new year’s celebration. Then came the dinner… three huge turkeys to feed the family, salads, and a rice dish.

Pavo (turkey!) - a nice change

After the dinner we did the secret Santa gift exchange, which involved a lot of shouting and was pretty hilarious. Then the sound system was set up and the “Peruvian Power Hour(s)” began (see previous post- “Birthdays and Baptisms”). Basically, it involved a lot of consumption of champagne, sangria, and cerveza (via peer pressure), and of course, loads of dancing! Trying to move my hips like Peruvians is already entertaining enough, but when you throw in the fact that I am much taller than almost all of the men here, it’s even funnier.

They let me add one American song to the playlist – I chose country and I taught everyone how to line dance! ☺ (Well, attempted to.) We ate more paneton around 5am, and finally at about 6:30am, as the sun was already up, it was socially acceptable to excuse myself to go to bed. Needless to say, a Christmas experience I will never forget!