Nicaragua: The spirit of Christmas Present

Steven A. Melnick December 12, 2014

In a country where more than 70% of the population identifies themselves as Catholic, Christmas is a serious celebration. Last Sunday and Monday were a celebration of The Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary (December 8). Many businesses were closed both days and there were fireworks in the streets. I was told these are "altars to Saint Mary" and saw that they were huge. They reminded me of the floats at the New Years Day parades but on steriods. The main boulevard leading down to Lake Managua was lined with them on both sides of the street and there were easily more than 100 or more of them. They are hugely elaborate and, apparently, there is a great deal of competition to see who can make the best one.

Many of the ones I saw as I walked around downtown for almost 7 miles--according to my FitBit--in the section known as "old Managua" are all different with some including little fish ponds, child-sized footbridges to walk over, some had historic scenes of old Managua before the earthquake (1972) with Mary overlooking the city, and some were loaded with scenes for the children. Some are government sponsored; others have corporate sponsors. The labor involved to build them is significant and beyond the means of most individuals. These folks are serious about celebrating the true meaning of Christmas.

There was much singing in the streets and fireworks everywhere. The celebration of Christmas broke out in full force in the early evening on Saturday and reached a crescendo on Monday night. As I walked the streets of my Managua neighborhood, I could hear fireworks going off everywhere (sounded like Beirut with a whiff of cordite in the air) and children singing (click the link--it's only 35 seconds) in many public and private places. Scenes like this were everywhere. Could there possibly be a more beautiful sound than children singing?

Private homes had small altars setup outside their houses. If they were lit, children and adults would stop in front of the house and sing traditional Spanish songs to Saint Mary and the homeowner would come out and give them treats and small gifts. I was talking with three folks from California a couple of days later and they told me they went around and sang our traditional Christmas Carols and the homeowners loved it. Got treats too ! Scenes like this were everywhere.

When I first heard the occasional fireworks going off before the celebration got into high gear, I was unsure if it was gunfire or if the revolution broke out again. In the end, it was simply a joyous time for everyone and the fireworks added to the festivities (and litter on the street--see photo). The children's recording I've included above was inside a small outdoor church. Every once in a while, an old gentlemen would quietly sneak out the gate and set off a LARGE string of fireworks on the sidewalk right outside. The kids would keep on singing like nothing happened. As you can see on the left, he liked doing that a lot !

My guess is the guy was probably pushing about 80 years old. He would hold bottle rockets in one hand while he lit the fuse with the other until the rocket ignited and started to accelerate. As it began to accelerate, he would simply let it go. Amazingly, near as I could see, he still had all 10 fingers after what I assume is decades of doing this !

Mall Show

The mall got into the act putting on a Christmas program for its patrons. (Here's a link to about a 1 minute video of the performance.) Families were together everywhere and the joy of celebration in the air was palpable. The local bookstore, Hispomer (the "H" is silent)--think Borders or Barnes and Noble--has a small gallery where they were displaying children's artwork. I've included a few shots from the gallery below. Christmas is everywhere and Nicaraguans are celebrating. I am told that they, like us in the USA, will shortly focus on the commercial part of Christmas but it is refreshing to see such a joyus, public display of the religious basis for the Christmas Season that is not hiding in the politically correct shadows. Feliz Navidad, my friends.