December is all about the Immaculate Conception and the birth of Christ. This year Purísima started on Sunday (11/28) with the statue of the Virgin Mary being carried out of the Cathedral and through the streets of Granada and will end on December 8th. This tradition began in Nicaragua on December 7th, 1742 and has been celebrated ever since.

Every night a different street gets to carry the statue of the Virgin Mary on their very own float down their street. We caught the celebration on Calle Sta. Lucia on Thursday which was followed yesterday by an even bigger show on Calle Atravesada (this is the main drag at the corner of our street). We were out there until 9 PM and saw the most amazing street fair complete with fireworks and firefighters.

People from our street performed a little play on stage and it featured Sophia’s friend from school. They were quite happy to see each other. And A looked angelic.

Tonight was Calle Inmaculada’s turn and we beat them as far as the spectacle is concerned plus “our” float was nicer (or so we think). But they sure drew the bigger crowd.

All of Granada seems to be on their feet. Families with their little ones dressed to the nines (my favorite are the little girls in their princess dresses), teenagers trying to impress their counterparts, real nuns in an effort to find some meaning in it all, police officers attempting to keep the chaos at bay, marching bands playing their hearts out and the ambulance vehicle leading the parade down the street.

Again, all of this is going to climax next Wednesday when the Virgin Mary gets carried back to the church. The 8th is also a public holiday. Even the grocery stores are going to be closed. This is serious business.

We were fortunate to see the Virgin Mary come to the neighbor across the street to have their house and family blessed.

Apparently that is why the doorways are so tall in Granada. People used to carry the statue right into the house on their shoulders so that one could receive the blessing inside the house.



Well, I can’t wait to find out what else is going to happen during the next 4 days.

Today was also the day when I finally asked my fruit lady what her name is. Damaris. Here is where my lack of religious education shows. I have never heard of the name. Apparently she was in the bible.

Biblical name derived from the words 'damalis' calf ; 'damar' wife. The name is most likely a corruption of Damalis (Old Greek), although it could also be from the diminutive of the element 'damar' (wife). As a form of Damalis, the name is sometimes interpreted to mean 'gentleness'. In the Bible, Damaris was an Athenian woman and Christian convert of Paul; as a result of the biblical mention, in the 17th century the name was adopted by English Puritans.

BTW, I am sitting in the comforts of my sala while typing this entry, listening to salsa music coming from the neighbors, sipping the local beer and enjoying the warm summer night. Ah, the tropics. I love the weather. Beats the cold and damp in Seattle any day of the week.

Although I have to say that decorating for Christmas in 85 degree weather seems to be rather odd. But then again, Bethlehem doesn’t exactly have icy temperatures either. It’s all what one is used to.