Month 9: San Juan and Sophie

Hello and welcome back to the newest installment of my Peace Corps life.

June in Paraguay is known for one thing and one thing only - la fiesta de San Juan. This holiday blends Catholic and pre-Columbian traditions, commemorating the birth of Saint John the Baptist on June 24. Although the tradition originally stems from Spanish evangelization, Paraguayans made it their own by incorporating Guaraní ingredients such as mandioca (yuca)  and corn, instead of the wheat originally used in Spanish dishes for the occasion. The central symbol of the festivity is fire, burning away sorrow and sadness, symbolizing purification and renewal.

It's important to note that while the holiday itself is celebrated on June 24, only the larger cities celebrate it on this day. The smaller, more rural communities (such as my own), tend to celebrate in the weeks leading up to it in order to permit people who want to attend the larger celebrations to do so. Due to this, on June 7 I found myself marching in the cold (remember, it's winter down here!) to my community's "capilla" (chapel). There, I was greeted by my students running carnival games, local moms making delicious "comidas tipicas" (traditional Paraguayan food such as empanadas made from flour de mandioca or "Payagua mascada" (beef and cornmeal patties)), and questioned more than once if I knew what was about to happen.

Now, I knew that there would be games, and that there would be fire, but that's where my knowledge stopped. To make things more interesting, when the announcer grabbed the microphone and started narrating what was about to happen, it was completely in Guarani.



Before I could really process what was going on, into the event strolled 6 "chambas" (competitors) dressed in costumes and masked. All these chambas were boys, between the ages of 12-19. They paraded themselves around the space, singing and dancing in falsettos and trying to entice the older gentlemen of the community to dance with them. After they all introduced themselves to the crowd with their made up names, origins and ages (one man claimed to be hundreds of years old and from America), the games began.



I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't this. Below are some pictures of the games I witnessed, but I'll give a brief overview here:

- Carrera vosa - this was a typical potato sack race

- Yvyra syi - where brave participants try to climb a tall, greased pole to win prizes (usually money or chipa - a traditional bread)

- There was a game that involved two competitors sitting on a raised beam and whacking each other with bags of old clothes - first one to fall loses

- Toro candil - the bull with the fire horns that chases competitors

- Pelota tatá - think soccer but the ball is on fire

- There was another event that involved participants passing through a ring of fire 

- A "show of faith" in which those who believed they had God on their side walked barefoot over flaming coals

- And finally, "Judas kái" - this was a ceremonial burning of a doll stuffed with fireworks that represented Judas the Apostle of Christ, symbolic of rejection of betrayal and corruption

It's important to note that these are just a few of the traditional games played, and that every community celebrates a little differently. I went to multiple San Juan celebrations, and no two are exactly alike.

Knocking each other off the wooden balance beam

Flaming soccer ball

Passing through the ring of fire

Climbing the greased pole

Me next to the very hot coals 
(did not walk over them- maybe next year)

The other two major events that happened this month were the Pride Parade in Asuncion, and Sophie's birthday.

Since we don't have any more organized training events until December (can you believe I've been here for almost a year?), it's harder for us volunteers to organize an event to get together. This opportunity presented itself to us in the form of my sweet friend Sophie's birthday party down in Encarnacion.

Although the journey down there was quite a trek (I stood on the side of the road because ny bus was five (5) hours late!) Once down there, we had such a fun weekend reconnecting and celebrating Sophie.

The last fun event of June was the Pride March in Asuncion the last weekend of June. As a proud (ha get it) advocate of any form of love, I was so happy to march and celebrate this wonderful holiday with some fellow volunteers.

This concludes my June recap. School is winding down for winter break, it's colder than I could've imagined - yes, I miss the 110 degree heat - and I'm still loving my life and my community. I feel so blessed to be able to connect with and share such important cultural traditions with the people I've grown so close to, and I look forward to doing so more in the future.

Love, 

Anita