RYAN: THIS ONE IS FOR YOU
Today is Independance Day. Guatemala kicked Spanish rule 181 years ago, and they’re pretty excited about it. They have this tradition, so I will describe it to you as best I understand it. There is some sort of “sacred fire” in Antigua, and the day before Independance Day, delegates from town go there to get some of the flame and bring it home for the Big Independance Party. We were hanging out in our house yesterday afternoon, and i saw a mob of people heading down the street with torches. Since they were unlit, i ruled out “going to burn down Frankenstein’s castle;” they must be headed to get the Fire. So, i ran out and followed them.
We eventually got to the border of the aldea, where there were nearly 100 kids waiting, and 3 adults. They all had torches made from turned handles of wood about three feet long (much like table legs) with an empty paint can affixed to the top, filled with an old rag. “They just called, and they’re 30 minutes out,” Daniel told me. We waited and waited, for about an hour and a half. The kids got crazy, and also pretty wet in the rain. Then, we saw the convoy coming up the road. What i WASN’T expecting was the teachers from the village school to be in workout clothes, running in front with lit torches.
“Jaime! Good to see you!” Maynor (the principal) shouted at me as he grabbed a jerry can of kerosene from the bus, dripping sweat. He began pouring it off into cutoff milk jugs held by the perspiring, panting teachers. They then started filling all the kids’ torches. Despite the suprising organization for a Guatemalan event, I was pretty scared at this point. We’re talking over a hundred elementary and middleschool age kids with fire. I was nervous like a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.
Now I should digress a moment, and talk a little about this guy Maynor, the school principal. The first time i saw him, i thought, “Well, HE ain’t from around these parts!” (imagine hillbilly accent) He’s tall, big, has shoulder length hair, wears an earring, and dresses Eurostyle. NONE of these traits are Guatemalan. Turns out, he’s just the token liberal in town, and he’s Ladino. You know, the only other non-mayan in town besides us. But, I have a lot of respect for this guy… he holds down the fort. He exposes them to mind-opening ideas, he is dedicated to his school and making it better, and he’s been working hard at this for 14 years and still cares.
So, about th e time darkness fell, the torches were all lit and we started the journey back to the center of town. I was offered a torch, but not being experienced in these things, i opted to wave a flag instead. The kids all seemed pretty excited I was in their parade. It started raining more, kids were running, the greasy kerosene smoke drifted like that of a civil war battlefield. A good time was had by all.
When we reached the school, we were greeted by the rest of the town waiting and cheering. We circled in the courtyard, the principal said some inspirational, nationalistic words, and then we were dismissed to prepare for the Beauty Pagent. But that is another story, and I will let Ruby tell it. As we were leaving, Maynor told everyone they should keep their torches for next year, to help preserve the environment. Go Maynor! Then he added that everyone should dump their torches out on the pavement as they left. NO, MAYNOR! I am not sure why someone would tell a bunch of kids this, but here’s a picture of the gleeful mayhem that resulted. So, Ryan, the next time you are getting ready for Viking Day, consider adding FIRE to your plans.