Yes, folks, we're talking about piñatas. Traditionally used in Nicaragua with children, I prefer to use anyone's birthday as an excuse for a piñata. And really, no one here complains. So on Sunday, my friend Roberto had a birthday, and we went to celebrate with him. All of us Cohort members went, thinking we would go to church, have lunch, and enjoy cake and piñata in the afternoon. But our plans were not the only plans that day.
The teams that we work with in the León communities (ETU) decided they wanted to celebrate Roberto's birthday, too. They showed up around 10:30 with food and went to work in the kitchen built for a family of 4. I think they crammed 8 women in there at one time! Needless to say, we did not go to church.
While we waited for the food to cook, we decided to do the piñata before lunch to pass the time. Here's a live video of Gordon, our Cohort mentor, taking a swing. The general practice is to blindfold the person, help them locate the piñata the first time, and then let them go at it. Onlookers shout "Arriba" (up) or "abajo" (down) to indicate where the person should swing. Sometimes we like to shout the opposite because it's really funny to watch someone swinging at nothing. See?
After a delicious meal, we had cake, too! While Roberto was posing for pictures, one of the ladies from an ETU team smeared him with frosting. Always holding onto his sense of humor, Roberto left it on for the rest of the cake-cutting ceremony. We sang a birthday song, everyone congratulated him, and we prayed for him. It was a great celebration, and a beautiful expression of friendship and appreciation even from the people with whom we work in the communities. Happy birthday, Roberto!
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