December 17, 2007

Happy holidays! I hope all is well and that the season brings many happy tidings, wherever you may be. Christmas is my favorite holiday, most likely because it is the one time of the year that most if not all of the family comes together. (The only other time that seems to happen is either during weddings or funerals). I have so many wonderful memories of Christmas with the family, and even though our holiday traditions have adjusted and changed over time, it’s always a moment to remember and to be thankful for. Besides, it’s not so much what we do or where we meet, but who we are with that makes the occasion, right? If that’s the case, than this Christmas should also be a memorable experience even though I’m far from home.

Yes, this is my first Christmas away from home! I’m doing surprisingly well considering, but I’m not alone this holiday season. My sister Nicolette will be joining me for the holidays, which I’m super excited about. I rarely get to see her, so this will be a good occasion to catch up, visit family, show her a bit of Ecuador, and have fun! Between my own family and the Suarez family, then, I’ll be in good company this Christmas.

While no snow adorns the ground and the Christmas trees look more like cone shaped bushes, the Christmas spirit is certainly upon us here in Ecuador (or at least in Quito). The holiday traditions vary in Ecuador, depending on where you are (as in which community you’re in), but considering the fact that the country is predominantly Catholic, there is a common base in the Church and its rituals. In this respect, the Christmas traditions here would feel familiar though appear somewhat distinct in its form to many of you who are Catholic (or of any other denomination for that matter).

For instance, there is a wonderful tradition here known as the novenas, which has parallels in other Latin American countries (like the posada in Mexico). For nine evenings, family, neighbors, and friends gather at the home of one of the participating families (the location rotates every night) for an evening of formal and informal prayer, readings, responses, and music making (mainly villancicos, or Christmas songs, like “campana sobre campana,” or “pero mira como beben”). The final novena is observed by each family in their own respective homes. A fairly elaborate nativity scene sits at the head or at the center of the gathering, usually with a basket or a place for the baby Jesus who, up until the last novena, is not made present. The prayers and responses are those normally recited in the Catholic church, such as the Our Father, Hail Mary, rosaries, etc. The smell of incense (an aromatic piece of wood known as palo santo) pervades the ritual space. For each of the nine nights, a different aspect of the nativity is commemorated in the recitations and meditations (i.e., Gabriel’s visit to Mary, the story of Saint John the Baptist, the trip to Bethlehem, the announcement of Jesus birth to the shepherds, etc.). An air of reverance pervades throughout, and the whole ritual lasts probably no more than 20 or 30 minutes (depending on the number of villancicos). After the formal ceremony, the families and friends celebrate the evening, sharing a light meal and drinks. The nine evenings of the novenas symbolize the nine months Mary carried Jesus in her womb.

While not celebrated by everyone in Ecuador (I’m assuming it’s mainly a mestizo tradition), it is a good example of the way formal church rituals are integrated into daily social life, reinforcing and expressing local values (such as family, community, etc.). I don’t necessarily like the term “folk” religion, which is often used to describe the various forms and practices of Catholicism in Latin America, because it implies something of a bastardization (in the negative sense) of a supposedly pure form or practice. But Catholicism does have a distinct flavor here, and it really has to do with the way the people have made the teachings and practices of the church meaningful to themselves and their lived reality.

Now, there are other aspects to this too, considering that Christianity was imposed on the indigenous communities (and African slaves) who had their own respective beliefs and practices. Here we find some really interesting expressions of faith that incorporate pre-Colombian and Catholic images, forms, beliefs, and practices. I’ll write more on some of these traditions later, but many have made the argument that the Catholic faith brought by the Spanish and imposed on these communities has ultimately been interpreted through local understandings (worldviews). In this sense, for many of the indigenous and Afro-Ecuadorian communities, a celebration of difuntos (day of dead), semana santa (holy week), or of any of the patron saints take on very different connotations. To visit deceased relatives and share food at the cemetery, to reenact the crucifixion of Jesus, or to dance during San Juan (St. John) is to literally commune and share food with ones ancestors, to embody the suffering and redemption (resurrection) of not only Jesus but of a whole community (here I’m talking about the Afro-Ecuadorian communities), and to pay homage to the sun and the earth that make life itself possible. Above all, these practices reflect an underlying belief in the existence of and even interdependence between the natural and the supernatural world. Indeed, that deceased ancestors could possibly intercede and act on behalf of the living is a belief that is also commonly held among followers of the Catholic church. From this perspective, it only makes sense that certain aspects of the Church would resonate with local beliefs and practices.

That said make no mistake that the devout participants in these festivals and celebrations consider themselves Catholics. For them, there is no contradiction, no syncretism, no conscious blending. They simply practice a faith, whether you want to call it Catholicism or otherwise, that speaks to their specific needs and understandings.

Well, I’m no theologian, nor would I consider myself the most apt person to talk about matters of faith considering my own agnostic tendencies, but I would be willing to say that most of us choose to believe or put our faith in that which seems most relevant to our own lives and daily lived experiences. And it seems that both aspects, our beliefs and our lived experiences (practice), continually inform one another. At least, this seems to be a matter of truth (with a little “t”) to me ;)

So there’s my reflection on Catholicism in Latin America and faith in general for this holiday season. Stay tuned next week for a discussion on politics, . . . (just kidding). Please know that my thoughts are with all of you (my family and friends) this holiday season. Take care for now!

Happy Holidays,
Pacho