Fiestas: Celebrations and Festivities

 

 

That first year settling into our new home, we celebrated birthdays and holidays as best we could in our new surroundings, and we encountered festivals belonging to this new culture.

Dad’s birthday came first, April 2, only six weeks into our life in La Carlota. The arrival of the new stove that very day, along with the surprise visit of colleagues from Río Cuarto, allowed for a special meal, ten people around the table.

Next was Easter, April 21. There is no record in the letters of what the missionaries may have done in their various towns only a description of the local traditions. Semana Santa and Pascua (Holy Week and Easter) were major celebrations in every town. Dad wrote: This is Easter season and a big one here in the Argentine. Last night at 6 o’clock (Good Friday) we put Rita in her cart and went up to the main street to see the big parade. It looked like all of La Carlota was there to parade the streets in hopes of saving their souls. The procession began with a boy carrying a cross. He was dressed in a fancy white cape. Behind him came about 75 children dressed in their best clothes. Next in line came men and women carrying lighted candles, chanting as they went. All the women wore netted veils. Throughout the whole procession were three images. These they bore on staves like the Israelites did the ark. The first image was of Christ, the second of Mary and the last of Christ resting at the foot of a cross after His death. The priest walked before the last image and at every street crossing, he would stop the image and chant off a few lines of something. . . On a cross out in front of their church is written in Spanish “Save your soul” so I suppose they were in the process last night. . . Mrs. Dowdy told us that every year they bury or go through the act of burying Christ and some people actually think that the Lord dies every year. (4.20.46)

A couple of weeks later, Dad came across another local expression of religiosity. Brother Dowdy took me with him to Reducción to view the curiosities at a Catholic Shrine. May 1-3 people come from all parts of Argentina to this little town. The story goes that an image called the Saint of a Good Life was missing in a large Catholic church in some other part of Argentina. Later it was found in Reducción in the Catholic church. It was taken back, but soon after it was found there again. They therefore concluded that God wanted it there and that this place held some special charm. Outside the church were many and various stands selling all sorts of things very much like one would see at a fair in the States . . . many and sundry images, dolls, toy trucks and trinkets, candy, matches, tobacco, and many other things. There were several gambling stands . . . for wine, money and perhaps other prizes. I wondered what this was all about and I found out that those who operate these stands must pay a commission to the priest. Just to the left of the church door is a stand where one can buy Holy water pumped by a windmill behind the church. The inside of the church appears very much like those in the States. They are by far the richest buildings of each community. There was a mob of people inside the church. I wondered what they were doing, but I soon found out. They were going to the various images especially that of Mary and the Crucifix and were kissing the feet, passing their hands over the bodies, touching the hem of the garments of Mary and other things. Soon the priest had the people come to order and those who wanted to be confirmed were to form a circle. When they were ready, the Bishop of this section came dragging his robes through the crowd. One woman kissed the Bishop’s hand as he passed by. Confirmation consists of putting a little oil on the forehead in the form of the cross. Then the Bishop takes three passes at the victim all the time saying something in Latin and Spanish, and then he actually has the nerve to slap the person. Some of the young boys couldn’t keep from laughing when they performed this on them.

There are ever so many folks here who will talk about their church, run it into the ground for being unreasonable and mercenary, laugh at the idea of confessing to a priest who does things which even they wouldn’t do, but they remain Catholics. (5.04.46)

Unrelated to any festival, Brother Dowdy planned another trip in June to visit a few other mission points in the province. He was doing his best to acquaint my parents with various aspects of the work. Early Friday morning we started out with Brother Dowdy to go for Huinca Renancó. We stopped for a minute again at Mr. Dowdy’s house before leaving the town and when Jimmy and Roger found out that we were going to take Rita with us they were so disappointed that we decided we better leave her in Carlota. We hurriedly took out her clothes from the suitcase and went on our way. 

My parents later realized that they had done what was best for me and them. During that four-day adventure, the weather was cold, the roads were hazardous, and accommodations unpredictable. On the way we went through or around about two dozen “pantanos” or “lagunas” in the road. They are low places in the road where they have filled up with water. Most of them look like lakes and unless they have sandy bottoms you’re doomed. We fortunately didn’t get stuck in any but we sure had a sinking feeling sometimes. After two hours on dirt roads we arrived at Laboulaye where one of our national workers, Brother Siccardi, leads the work. (6.11.46) 

    If I had been along I could have met Mirtha, the youngest of his four children. In years to come she became my best friend. However, at ages two and four, the encounter may not have been that memorable.

And how did I fare during this short stay with the Dowdys? Dad wrote that when they arrived back Monday about 1:15 in the afternoon. Rita was well and happy and apparently hadn’t missed us at all . . . she looked us over for a while then started laughing.

In July, Argentina commemorates its independence from Spain. July 9, 1816, thirty-three delegates from the united provinces—las Provincias Unidas del Río de la Plata--voted and officially declared separation from Spanish rule. Surrounding this important Argentine national holiday, schools have a one- or two-week winter break, “las vacaciones de invierno.” The dates vary each year.

Dad commented on the confusion resulting from too many holidays. The schools have so many vacations down here now that the children ask, “When do we have classes again?” not “When do we have some vacation?” Most of the vacations are a day here and a day there for the honor of some “Saint’s Day”. It’s gotten to be a laughingstock for the Argentines themselves. It makes the businessman angry to turn around every other day and close up shop. Of course, Kathryn and I never know when they are going to come so on those days the bread man brings an extra supply of bread to our door. We are surprised and he tells us that tomorrow is fiesta and they will not be delivering bread—all stores closed. (7.14.46)

July 29, Mother turned twenty-five, but there is no mention of what they did. However, my parents’ anniversary was duly celebrated and recorded in writing and in photos which show that Mother could still fit into her wedding dress.

August 22--Today is our fourth wedding anniversary and the thirty-third of Mom and Pop Hirschy. I must say that I am more contented with my wife each year. . . It must have been of the Lord. We are going to celebrate by having the Dowdys over for supper. Kathryn made a three-layer cake last night-two layers of sunshine cake and one of chocolate. We also got a little extravagant and bought some boiled ham at the price of 65 cents per pound. That is U.S. money. I suppose you folks would think that is cheap, but when we think of the peso as a dollar, then it is almost 2.75 per lb.

As an anniversary gift to my wife I am making her a tripod for her flannelgraph board and a case to contain the board, tripod and whatever materials she may need. (8.22.46)

Sept 24^th is the big festival in honor of the patron saint of La Carlota . . . the Virgen Mercedes. Nine days before this date they begin to have services in the Catholic Church each evening. In one of these services the priest said that the Evangelicals were nice on the outside but rotten on the inside. In another the Bishop spoke and warned the people not to be deceived by the Evangelicals’ gifts . . . When the big day arrived, we were amazed to see the crowd in the procession. Some estimated it at about 4,000. This time they carried an image of this saint through the streets. When they passed Dowdy’s house where some of us were standing watching, the priest cried, “Viva la patria” and the people echoed “Viva”. Then “Viva el pueblo” or the town, “Viva la Acción Católica” or Catholic Action/Catechism, “Viva los niños católicos, “Viva el cura”. . . Three fourths of the people don’t even think much of the priest . . . I had opportunity to talk with a couple men whom I saw in the parade later. One told me that he didn’t believe all that but was just in the parade to manifest his belief in God. . . . he was just there because he was brought up that way. . . . The other told me he was in the procession because his family was there. This latter then went ahead to tell me all the fakes and superstitions in the Catholic Church. (9.27.46)

November 1. . . is the “Day of all Saints”. The schools are all out and business is shut down for half a day. Tomorrow is the “Day of the Dead”. Everybody goes to the cemetery and pays the priest to pray for their dead loved ones. (11.01.46)

Brother Dowdy and I went to the cemetery . . . We saw people saying prayers for the dead and I suppose the priest was there although we didn’t see him. That is one of his big days for making money. We passed out tracts. . . this week too. One always has some interesting experiences when doing this. Brother Dowdy handed a tract to a lady of about 35 and she refused saying, “I’m sorry, sir, but I am very much catholic”. He said, “Yes, that’s all right, but you can read this”. She continued to refuse. Two or three little boys were passing by at the same time and they said to their dad, “Huh, that’s funny, Catholics can’t read.” (11.09.46)

 For Jimmy Dowdy’s 9^th birthday in November, all of us were invited to the Debanne’s (the family of our language teacher and friend) for asado—the typical Argentine barbecue meal in which a variety of meats are cooked on a grill or over an open fire.

Dad opened his next letter with, “Ahora quedamos solos.” (Now we are left alone.) On the 19^th, the Dowdys moved on to Río Cuarto, their new assignment. And we were left on our own. Well, not totally. Jimmy stayed with us a few days to finish out the school year. Wednesday, we had to take Jimmy to his final program, wrote Dad. It lasted a long time and there was not much order. . . I rather liked the final speech of the lady director of the school . . . she tried to instill a desire within the parents and children for work. (12.22.46)

Christmas, the final celebration of the year, was met with mixed emotions. Mother especially felt the frustration of keeping the traditional programs going—summer vacation Bible School and a Christmas program in which everyone was begging for a part. They were overwhelmed with the responsibility of caring for the ongoing ministry in four towns solely on their shoulders. And the reality of living far away from family and friends hit them especially during the holidays. 

Our Christmas will be a little lonely this year, wrote Mother. However, we’ll have a good time anyway. In the evening of the 25^th we have a meeting in Los Cisnes and it is always nice to go there and be with the Debannes. (She is our teacher or rather was and speaks English very well.). . . We’ve been so busy with canning, D.V.B.S., etc. that we forgot about Christmas cards and presents . . . so no one got even a card from us.

The following week Mother’s letter described that first Christmas in Argentina.  After the program we came home, put Rita to bed and then put up the little artificial Christmas tree. The tricycle didn’t arrive from B.A. so we gave her a doll that Sam bought in New York one time (We had packed it away for a future Christmas not thinking it would be so soon). I made Rita a Christmas stocking and she hung it up before she went to bed. The first thing she said the next morning was “Where’s the Christmas tree?” She was very well pleased with her doll, the Christmas tree and everything. It was the strangest Christmas we’d ever had; hot weather and we were all alone. I forgot to tell you that Rita also got a little rocking chair from the Debannes. (12.29.46)

At two-and-a-half years I had no idea how strange this Christmas season was for my parents—very warm temperatures, no snow, and all the work involved in the usual summer programs. Indeed, the entire first year in Argentina was so new and different. However, they were eager learners and did not let loneliness and hard work dampen their zeal. They longed to someday be able to say of those they lived among: “So then you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household. (Ephesians 2:19 HCSB)”