I love Saturdays! Even though I'm 'on a holiday', I still have had to get up during the week to go to school. Today, nada! So after coffee and reading the Star Phoenix, Maria and I went to el mercado.
She is choosing potatoes-
And tomatoes that cost 54 cents/pound. Once selected, they are weighed-
And then dumped into Maria's shopping bag-
The Maya women wear traditional dress all the time. It's a multi colored wrapped skirt with a matching blousa called a huipil-
Carne is a treat. Pollo is chopped-
Weighed, then wrapped in a large leaf. This chicken breast cost $4.50-
It's plopped into the grocery bag, on top of the tomatoes, cebolla and mint-
I bought a large piña for $1.80. Not bad! 2 large and deliciously ripe avocado cost 36 cents. 30 large eggs cost $4.86. That's pretty expensive and I'm not sure why.
San Pedro, the Saint for whom this pueblo is named, stands in front of the only iglesia catholica in town-
Upon entering the church, I was given a ribbon to wear that said Nuestre bodo: Domingo and Wendy-
The ceremony was at the Baptist church-
There were a lot of beautiful flowers and the bell hanging from the ceiling is a gift from the groom's parents. It is filled with rice and beans but is not broken open like a piñata.
The front of the church was very fancy. There were large white bouquets of fresh flowers-
There were 8 attendants - each. They formed an arch with gladiolus along the aisle and were individually introduced to much applause-
Eventually, the bride entered. Neither her parents nor the groom's looked very happy but I think that's a Guatemalan thing.
The first 45 minutes of the ceremony was the civil part. Wendy and Mingo sat in chairs for this long, legal part-
The minister yelled for about 20 minutes, then the couple, with their parents, prayed-
Next, a group of men sang-
There were a few more speeches, then the rings were exchanged and the part everyone was waiting for-
Afterwards, we went downstairs for a small comida-
We each only ate one tamale so Maria put the extras in her purse. The super large dry buns were also packed up. The coffee had pre-added sugar - that's the way they serve it at my house too.
The cakes were nicely decorated-
I went up on the roof afterwards for a view of San Pedro-
We got home about 7pm. The ceremony was about 2.5 hours, then the visiting and eating was another 1.5 hours. The wedding wasn't what I hoped, but it was how they do it here and I was lucky to have been invited! Tomorrow I'm going to Panajachel, another pueblo on the lake. They are supposed to have the best market in Guatemala. I think I've heard that before!
A long day for everyone and no alcohol !
ReplyDeleteHope you can find something special for yourself at the market tomorrow-- it's a special day!
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