Fiesta week

Last week marked Cajabamba's annual fiesta patronal, a 10-day continuous party during which nobody works, parades and fireworks are to be expected at any time of day, and the townfolk put their party hats on and dance 'til the wee hours of the morning. The fiesta is ostensibly to honor the town's patron saint, the Virgen del Rosario, but the spirit of the week is really to have fun and celebrate the community with friends and family.

At least once per day, every single day of the fiesta, there was a parade of some sort - sometimes honoring the virgin, sometimes representing different associations, sometimes representing the various outlying communities, but always involving marching bands and traditional dances:

The virgin herself, being carried through the streets of Cajabamba on parade.

An important part of the fiesta is the dancing diablos (devils), a tradition unique to Cajabamba - the diablos have even been declared a national cultural treasure. Every afternoon the diablos and their accompanying marching bands would make their circuit of the plaza, dancing tirelessly all the while, with the grand finale on the steps of the church:

Fireworks are also a key component of the fiesta. While each night there are a few U.S.-style fireworks (i.e. you shoot them into the air and they explode far above everyone's heads), Peruvians like to get a little more creative - and crazy - with their pyrotechnics. Any small child has the right to light off rocket-style fireworks at any hour during the fiesta, and they seem to particularly enjoy doing so at 6am. There are fireworks called vacas locas (crazy cows), where some crazy person puts a cow-shaped fire-shooting contraption over their head, lights it, and runs into and around the crowd shooting sparks in all directions. The best of the fireworks, however, are the castillos (castles): multiple-story towers made of bamboo rods and rigged with successive explosions of light and flame:

During the nights of fireworks (which are shot off at close range to both people and trees right in the middle of the plaza), everyone in town just hangs out in the plaza, drinking beers, dancing in the streets, reconnecting with friends and neighbors, and taking in the festivities.

Monday through Wednesday the daytime fiesta hours were dedicated to the agricultural and artisan fair, where every association in the district of Cajabamba had a booth to show what they've been up to and to sell some products. There were also food stands aplenty, and competitions for the best of every kind of farm animal - yes, we crowned a "King Guinea Pig" - and for those most skilled in shearing, spinning, etc.:

Cajabamba also hosted a two-night national marinera competition, highlighting one of Peru's traditional dances with participants ranging in age from three to seventy:

Lastly, and certainly my least favorite, came the bullfights. I had never attended a live fight, and although I knew I wasn't going to enjoy it, it was a cultural tradition I wanted to experience at least once in my life. Plus my host mom pretty much thinks bullfights are the best thing since sliced bread, so it would've been difficult to refuse her invitation. So, I went. While I'm still glad I did, I was severely uncomfortable throughout the event and will not be repeating the experience. I respect that bullfighting is an important cultural tradition in many countries, but I have now confirmed that it's just not my personal cup of tea.

And there you have it: a very abbreviated wrap-up of what a Cajabamban party looks like. The fiesta was definitely a lot of fun, but 10 days of celebrating has made me happy to find myself back into regular work mode this week.