El Dulce Nombre de Jesus in San Antonio and a Birth in San Raphael

Santo de Mcdonald's

I spent the weekend in San Antonio for the celebration of 'El Dulce Nombre de Jesus' or 'The Sweet Name of Jesus' in english. I am still not entirely certain what this celebration is all about, but gleaned that it has something to do with a very cute, curly haired, little jesus, holding a globe of the world. There were parades in the day time, processions at night and a gang of horses, with riders dressed like masked kings, galloping through the streets, terrorizing and delighting everyone. Needless to say, this bit of the fiesta is quite dangerous and there are injuries each year and I've heard in years past, deaths. I only saw one of the riders fall from his horse, but we heard that another was in the hospital that night. Nevertheless, the people are crazy about this part of the celebration, so I guess it's not going anywhere. You can see the crowds reaction; ducking and covering their heads as the horses race towards them in a couple of these photos.

We had a birth yesterday in San Raphael and spent the morning and part of the afternoon at the house with Berta and her husband Rolando. Rolando talked my ear off every chance he got, asking me if it really snowed in every state in America, if the cake was different than here in Guatemala, if I liked tortillas and how many I ate with each meal, and if all of the food in America had chemicals in it, because he was certain that the terrible tasting tortillas he bought in Iowa were full of them...because, really how could anything be edible after two days if it wasn't full of chemicals. He was quite an earful, probably as a result of a combination of nerves, and genuine interest, but I'm no longer surprised that the conversation so often turns to the food and then to tortillas, as it is always a great topic of conversation.

This was Berta's fourth child and Eulalia had been her midwife in the past. She later told me that this was a more difficult birth for the mom than her previous births, which I had a feeling was true, as she seemed a more on edge than some of the other moms I have been with and there was a great deal of her saying that she couldn't do it, but she did it! And the baby, a boy was born at 1pm. She promptly fell asleep with her baby as we left the house.

Room with volcanic views. Rosario, Guatemala. 

We start at the top and make our way down during our prenatal rounds in Rosario.

Getting ready for the dance of the Abuelitos. 

Abuelo Obama.

Kid Jesus on the cross, sucking on a bon-bon, lollipop.

Kids riding on floats (pick-up trucks.) La Dulce Nombre de Jesus, San Antonio.

Berta

Berta and Rolando's baby boy.

Because Dona Eulalia has been the midwife to nearly every adult and child we see while out and about in the pueblos, she is often given little gifts of gratitude. Yesterday, while waiting for the bus after a birth, we were gifted some squash by a man and his horse. It was a very good day.