Nochebuena (good night) is what Guatemalans call Christmas Eve. It is the biggest night of the Christmas holidays here, even bigger than the actual Christmas Day! And it's definitely louder. 😁 If you've been following my adventures in Panajachel, you'll know what I'm talking about. If you're new here on my blog, you're in for a treat below!
A few pictures of our last-minute shopping on Christmas Eve day.
We don't know why there are metal dinosaurs in the park in front of the municipal office,
but they certainly are festive this time of year!
That's Bert heading into the mad crowds at the market in Panajachel.
It's apple season here! Plus in the back, you can see someone selling sparkly Christmas garland.
Fresh shrimp. In the hot sun. Yum.
Another view of the Pana market, from the "top" near the dumpster. Yes, that's a volcano in the top right.
I love the "persons of the third age" as they call them (senior citizens) who bring the most interesting and traditional items to sell at the market. They sit right on a blanket on the ground and sell herbs, flowers, plantain leaves, pine needles, avocados, and other fascinating items.
Cotton candy and fresh shrimp -- interesting combo.
Also notice the dude on the right selling long tubes of fireworks.
Bert snapped this picture while out walking doggies.
Not a bad place to spend the holidays, eh? And all year actually!
Guatemalans spend Christmas Eve day preparing for the big night. They have nativity scenes set up in their houses with lights and incense. They make tamales and ponche de fruit. Families gather together and eat and drink and be merry until midnight.
We're not Guatemalan, so our Xmas Eve celebration was kind of a mishmash. We gathered at NJP's house and he made us delicious pizza. I brought a mix for ponche, which was absolutely delicious. I can see why the Guatemalans love it so much! We had cake for dessert and chatted a bit before all going back to our own homes.
On the way to NJP's house, the alley was decorated so beautifully!
(It was very windy so everything is blowing and blurry.)
Put the punch mix in a big pot with two-thirds of a gallon of water and a cup of sugar. (We cut back on the sugar and it was still super sweet.) Bring to a boil and serve hot! It tastes like apple cider but with flowers. Yummy!
Dried fruits and things.
Steaming hot and wonderfully fragrant.
If you'd like to see how ponche de frutas is made from scratch, check out this lovely grandmother. Every family has their own special take on this traditional Christmas recipe. Ponche de Frutas - al estila de la abuela Oti
Skip to 3:00 to see the HUGE mixing spoon she has! 😆
NJP's super delicious pizza.
At midnight all over Guatemala, everyone goes outside and sets off fireworks. I mean, everyone! Even the poorest families buy a few roman candles to shoot. I can attest to that as I nearly got hit by one from the eight-year-old boy two doors down! He and his sister were walking up and down the river road with a plastic bag of fireworks and a smoldering piece of wood to light them. Crazy!
I took a bit of a video of the Christmas Eve excitement here in Panajachel. I was standing out on the river road in Jucanya, across the river from the main town. I taped for a minute before midnight, and then a few minutes after. I stopped recording because I didn't want to be staring at my camera screen. I wanted to be fully enjoying the moment in real life! It is one of the most magical and joyous experiences to stand out in the dark on a warm and windy night and see an entire city light up with pirotécnicas. I love it! 😊
I miss my family a lot this year but I am reminded every day of their love and generosity. I have gifts from years past all around my home, plus many fantastic memories from our trip to Walt Disney World this year. ¡Quiero a todos ustedes muchísimo! (I love you all very much!) 💜🎄🎆
Lovely! Thank you!
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