Journal Entry #10 - Happy Birthday!

Life: an adventure, a journey with Jesus!
A Peruvian Happy Birthday!

This journal is about one tradition in the Peruvian culture that we experienced and sharing it is our way of giving you insight into life in Peru and the differences we try to understand so we can better relate to those we are working with side by side.

The big day is long awaited and planned for since the baby is born. To celebrate a child’s first birthday is an occasion where the people of Peru go to all extent to make it the most memorable occasion. The child’s first birthday appears to be as important as the child’s birth. This is the Peruvian custom.

From a first-time guest to such a grandiose affair, I want to share my perspective. The family at Pat’s Place was invited to this, the birthday party of, Jois Genesis. As such honored guests, and being close friends of the family, the women of Pat’s Place cooked a delicious meal for the approximately 100 adult guests. The additional attendees included another 100 children from the age of newborn to about 12 years old. They didn’t go hungry – read on!

The cooking was an all day activity beginning shortly after breakfast. Peeling, dicing and cooking potatoes along with some meat bones, water, and spices for hours in a large 10-12 gallon pot took a large amount of time with all hands on deck. (All hands being four women!) There were 18” long pieces of yucca, about 3” in diameter, a root vegetable much like potato, to be cut into 4” lengths to be prepared. The 10” butcher knife was used, much like a machete, to chop the yucca and then to peel it. The third dish prepared was a purple corn pudding. Lila maize is prepared by removing the corn kernels and putting both the kernels and cobs into boiling water for hours. Adding prunes, pineapple which had to be cut, peeled, and trimmed out to bite size, manzania (a type of apple, peeled and diced) along with skinned peaches throughout the cooking period and finally thickening with a ground potato flour provides a special sweet dessert.

Other guests share in the work involved with the party by providing decorations. However the family rents a fabric tent which is representative of the age of the person the party is for. In this case it was pink, blue and yellow. The tent was put up on the end of the garage, driveway and right into the middle of the street. It accommodated the many guests quite nicely! Decorations included the Disney princesses, balloons towers, balloons from the ceiling, and balloons for the children to take home, along with Winnie the Pooh and #1 signifying the first birthday. The table was decorated with bright colors and the birthday cake. A large basket was decorated to receive the gifts brought by the guests. (It had to be emptied many, many times.) Chairs were made available around the perimeter of the area designated for the party. Several speakers were placed strategically around the party area, and music began playing, well actually, blaring! They were sprinkling scented water around the ground to help keep the dust down and the garage and street were clean as a whistle! A lot of work went into the party “hall”. Everything was ready for the party to begin.

It is interesting that everyone arrives late (according to American standards) but being late is the Peruvian way. The party began at 4:00 p.m. but guests continued to arrive up until 6:00 p.m. People greeted one another with warm kisses and genuine hugs and sat in the chairs with their children in tow. No other activity took place. Everyone sat quietly, awaiting the arrival of the birthday child. Soon the parents and baby arrived and they walked the perimeter of the “hall” giving each and every guest a kiss. They circulated the room to personally make sure everyone was welcomed.

There was a videographer on hand to capture every moment. She was sure to get right in the midst of the activities as they began. The entertainment arrived at 6:00 (on time believe it or not!) and soon there was a clown to keep the children (and adults) laughing. Music, singing, storytelling, joke telling, laughter, dancing, a ventriloquist, and a little magic all added to the fun for everyone. (Remember this was all in Spanish, so I can’t give you many more details!) The clown kept everyone entertained until 7:30 p.m. and then the whole atmosphere of the party changed. The host and hostess and friends began to bring out trays of goodies that friends and family had prepared for all to enjoy. These snacks were such treats that the families come expecting them and bring plastic bags with them to collect as much as they can. The guests had the opportunity to enjoy what they could get their hands on, literally! These mild-mannered children who sat so quietly from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. were totally different at this point in time. They were excited, couldn’t sit still, pushing, boisterous, and one felt like someone pushed a button and everything was accelerated and out of control.

Remember earlier I said the children did not go hungry? Well the snacks provided included: (and mind, you, these are my American descriptions of Peruvian snacks!) jello cups, Mazamora morado purple corn pudding, rice pudding, merigne cookies, sleeves of popcorn, shortbread cookies & chocolate covered shortbread cookies, rice krispie treats, puffy cheetos, Inca Cola, orange soda, candy, sweet potato squares, and animal cookies. These were brought out of the home to the party area and the children, AND THEIR MOTHERS, swarmed the host and shoved to get some snacks. They collected much like American children do at Halloween. The children were instructed to have a seat if they wanted a snack. Those who sat and were obedient seemed to get overlooked because the servers were so mobbed by those who did not follow instructions.

The time was now close to 9:30 p.m. and the clown returned to provide more entertainment and emcee the final portion of the party. He led the children in singing and dancing. Prizes (Monopoly games) were given out to about 8 adults who were considered the best dancers with their own children. It was like a mashpit! (Not that I’ve ever been in one, but I’ve seen them on the news when there have been crowds of dancers in action!) The mashpit was a dangerous place to be! The little children (under 5) were on mother’s hips, or sitting watching this strange activity on their mother’s lap. The party was not over yet. It moved into the singing of happy birthday to Jois Genesis and a huge piñata about 4’ in diameter, was brought out to the screams of delight from the guests. The children were more than excited. They were exuberant and the noise level continued to rise. As the piñata was struck with a plastic bat by the birthday child (and Daddy’s help) the children could hardly contain themselves due to their anticipation. It was held over one of the family’s friends heads as Jois Genesis was photographed striking the piñata
The clown then tore open the top of the piñata and threw out the contents to the guests. The mashpit became a place of excitement as well as tears as many fell to the floor, got knocked over, and were stepped on. I’m glad to report there were no serious injuries, but both Don and I took a fall! As soon as the piñata was emptied, everyone lined up and we didn’t understand why. But there was no doubt in the Peruvian children’s minds as to what was next. Cake! The cake was cut and passed along with boxes of goodies for the children (much like American goody bags) to take home.

During the evening Winnie the Pooh also arrived and danced and played games with the children. At this point in time, I cannot remember when this occurred. However, adults and children were both involved in a few games and of course, prizes were given for those participants. I also want to share that this family is a Christian family from Sector 5 and therefore hired a Christian clown to perform at the party. Everything was tastefully presented. He even shared with the children how important it is for them to be obedient, and evangelism is one of his goals in his evening activities. The whole evening was made possible by the community of friends and family. Another interesting observation is that two little girls were collecting the plastic utensils people used to eat with, typing them in bunches with ribbons from the balloons and were very pleased with their vast accumulation. I can’t help but wonder why.

As a final momento for the children of this wonderful occasion, they each received balloons which were printed with the birthday child’s name, date and photo on them. The children were thrilled and tired. They had been busy partying for hours. It was now about 10:15 pm The adults were served the delicious meal provided by Pat’s Place ladies and the older children were served last. Young children nibbled from their parent’s plates. However, over half of the guests didn’t stay for this part of the evening activities. Shortly before 11:00 p.m. we headed home as the party wound down. The decorations were taken down, the dinner was over and close family and friends were gathering around to chat. As I went to thank the hostess of the party, she was speaking a little English and thanked me over and over for coming and said it was special for us to be there (yeah, sure!) She called us Pastor and Senora Norris out of respect and hugged me very affectionately. We did have a wonderful time and were so glad to have been included in the festivities.

From my perspective I can’t help but ask several questions about what I observed. Heather Bowen, friend who is Director of Pat’s Place was kind enough to answer these questions and I felt it would be beneficial for you, the reader, to have this same understanding.

How can the family afford this huge celebration? It is so important that they ask their community of family and friends to help and they will return the favor when they have a baby. They also consider it important enough to go into debt if necessary. This family however, is a well to do Christian family by Peruvian standards.
It is tradition to celebrate this way. Is the family judged if they do not provide such extravagant parties? Yes, they are considered ungrateful for their child’s birthday.
What would a child do with 75+ gifts? Good question.
The child doesn’t understand a thing that happened, so the celebration is really for the family, correct? Yes
The children are so well behaved the first half of the evening, and everything goes wild the second half. Are treats given that seldom? The treats are special and therefore not often received.
How do friends and family afford to provide hundreds of snacks? It’s their way of showing gratitude for the child reaching their first birthday. Whatever it takes, they will do.
When they collect their goodies en masse to take home in plastic bags, are they rationed out over a period of time? No one could answer this question for me.