Slip back into the nostalgic past of middle school fairs, or
if you’re from NOLA like me, crawfish boils. Food stands, death-defying rides
(looking at you, Zipper), arts and crafts booths, and throngs of joyful
families basking in the momentary bliss of funnel cake and raffle tickets. Now
replace the foods you know with pupusas, fried chicken and tortillas, and all
manner of meats being grilled on the plancha. Take the sweet, childish rides
you once knew and exchange them for the same ones, just twenty years older,
covered in rust, and plastered with caricatures of nearly naked, extremely
bodacious women. And finally, multiply the crowds you’re used to by a factor of
5 and imagine inhaling an atmosphere composed entirely of B.O. and farts as you
squeeze through a vast sea of seemingly unmoving people. Now you’re at a
Guatemalan feria!
Currently, Guatemala is in feria season – a wonderful time
where small towns and big cities get to leave behind their troubles and
celebrate their home pride with gusto. Most ferias in Guate are a multi-day
event that includes a parade, a concert, and of course the aforementioned fair
scene. Intense crowds, the cries of vendors auctioning off their products, and
the smells of fried foods are just some of the things you can expect to
encounter at every Guatemalan feria. And let us not forget the Ferris Wheels of
death. As rusted and rickety as they are, I can only imagine that they were
retired from use in the States and sent to Guatemala for another few years of
perilous diversion. It is impossible to describe fully the overwhelming blend
of smells, sounds, and emotions one can experience in just an hour of feria.
Guatemalans celebrate the various patron saints of their
hometowns by hosting these enormous parties around the days the saints first
appeared to the Spanish colonists telling them to settle in the spots that
hundreds of years later would become the towns I know and love today. Town
members go all out to celebrate these metaphysical miracle makers. Town streets
can be seen adorned with colorful decorations, churches hold elaborate mass
ceremonies, families host large feasts, and nearly all governmental offices and
services are temporarily shut down. Ferias are extremely important cultural and
religious festivities in the lives of Guatemalans. They are dreamed about,
planned for, and the focus of sentimental storytelling throughout the year.
With their focus on history, religion, giving thanks, and enjoying the latest
trends in music and pop culture, feria represents the past, present, and future
all in one. The nuances that exist in each feria – the foods served, the
products sold, and the colors used to embellish the streets – represent the
identity and individuality of the place. All in all, feria is a time for
drinking, eating, dancing, playing, and of course praying.
During my first year in Guatemala, I’ve had the pleasure of
attending three ferias thus far: Xela (aka Quetzaltenango), Totonicapán, and
San Miguel Dueñas. Within my first hour at Xela feria, I was robbed blind of
nearly all of my valuables, including my phone, wallet, keys, and Twix bar. I
want to be clear: it was awful. I felt dumb and helpless, and very lost and
scared in a foreign city with no money and no means of communication. But it
was also an incredible reminder of how fortunate I am to be surrounded by
people that go above and beyond to look after me. I am forever indebted to my
mom for wiring me money and canceling my cards, to my friends for buying all
my food and drank, and to Don Rafael who offered to drive me three hours home
in the pouring rain. You all remind me how truly beautiful the human experience
can be.
Other than that blip, my time at the three ferias was
amazing! In Xela, I almost vomited on a crowd of unsuspecting Guatemalans as I
raced towards death on a Ferris Wheel that likely reached speeds capable of
breaking the sound barrier. In Totonicapán, I accidentally marched in the
parade, lost and confused as I tried to find my way to the bus terminal. Let’s
just say A LOT of people waved at us and they were probably laughing with us
not at us. And I got to bring my indigenous host mom to Dueñas to celebrate
feria there with my ladino host family. My time at feria has been a small, but
extremely powerful look into the gorgeous complexities of Guatemalan life.
Eating and blundering my way through the celebrations provided me a firsthand
account of the true joy Guatemalans take in celebrating their history and
religion. Talking to excited feria-goers opened up a world of fellowship, where
no matter your origins we are all Guatemalans.
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