Fiestas de Cuenca, parties and celebrations of Cuenca's 194th year of Independence from Spain kicked off on October 16th. The official day of independence is Tres de Noviembre (November 3rd). Cuenca is the arts and cultural center of Ecuador. If there is a civil or religious holiday to celebrate Cuenca will celebrate it in a BIG way. In this case, more than a month of celebrations which will end on November 30th. In the US we celebrate our indepence from England for one day. So, the celebration here is a bit overwhelming. There can be ten or more different parades, parties, and festivals ocurring at the same time. Three major holidays were celebrated here over the past four days. Halloween was Friday, The Day of the Dead was Sunday, and Independence Day was yesterday. This is also the beginning of the "high season" for tourists here. Cuenca had tens of thousands of visitors in town since last Friday. I did not know this small city of 500,000 residents could hold that many additional people. But, it did, and without many, if any, incidents. We tried to hit the highlights over the past month. If you are like me ... you do not enjoy reading. So, with that said, enjoy the pictures!
During this time of celebration you can find "Guagua de Pan" (Baby Bread) and the fruity beverage "Colada Morada" at tiendas, bakeries, and street vendors all over the city.
The booths along Av. 12 de Abril and the Tomebamba River.
A nightime concert at Parque Calderon, Cuenca's main square.
This is the guagua de pan and colada morada that I purchased at a local contest held around the corner from our apartment at the Plazoleta de Santo Domingo. The colada morada is thick due to a main ingredient of blue/black corn powder, and sweet from the blueberries and other fruit used to flavor the drink. The bread was slightly sweet and delicious.
Day of the Dead decorations being sold by vendors near the local flower market.
Cute kids at Parque de la Madre that participated in the Cholita and Cholo Cuencana parade.
Vendors along Av. 12 de Abril. Artists and craftspeople from twelve countries in South America set up tents. There were beautiful paintings, blankets, scarves, hats, and much more! As you can see the weather was beautiful. Temps in the 70's every day.
Enjoying refreshments with our friends Curt and Scott. These boys are crazy fun!!
We had a local artist make matching bracelets for us. The guy used a loom to make them by hand. The process was fast and amazing.
Scott and I got silver rings.
Friday night we celebrated Halloween at Common Grounds. Scott helped with our spur of the moment, unplanned, outfits. It appears we were "gringo tourists." We danced to music from the 80's and 90's.
Preparing for a Day of the Dead parade.
Additional vendor booths were set up at the Museum of Metal.
On our walk yesterday to Parque El Paraiso we were able to view a couple of antique military tanks.
Parque El Paraiso was the place to be on Monday, 3 November.
Donkeys resting before the race.
Large groups of people enjoyed the comedy skits.
Police cadets marching around Parque Calderon.
Native dancers wrapped up the day's activities.
I made a few purchases. Here is a baseball style hat that is made of straw.
This is a sweater made from Alpaca wool. It has a zipper front, pockets, a drawstring around the waist, and a hoodie. It's too hot to wear here. I'll take it to the US when we visit in December.
This is my third pair of what I call my "crazy pants." Most of the street performers and hippies around town wear them. I haven't worn mine in public yet. I just wear them around the apartment for lounging.
This is a cool incense burner handcrafted from bamboo.
A handpainted ceramic tile for our apartment door.
Last but not least, a toothbrush holder. Interesting story, the vendor was selling these for $2.00 each, two for $7.00, or three for $5.00! Yes, I know, the math does not add up. I questioned him several times and he insisted the pricing structure was correct. So, I bought one for $2.00 and Mike bought one for $2.00, a total of $4.00. We saved $3.00!!
Now I'm looking forward to the Christmas celebrations here. I understand the parades are a feast for the eyes.
Interesting post Howard. I love hearing and seeing your and Mike's adventures! Tell Mike hello for me!☺️
ReplyDeleteGreat blog Howard. Lot of pictures and stories.
ReplyDeleteEspecially loved the "new math" story. We get our ice cream from a place that sells singles for $1.20 and doubles for $2.50. I couldn't explain it to them either. Keep up the good work. George