Our neigbors - The piñata

Let me present our neighbors:

From California, in a small camper, Ken and Kriss; from Waterloo (ON), Ross and Ruth-Ann (who own a house here that they rent…they live six month here and six months in Waterloo… grand children calling); from Qualicum Beach (BC), Sonia and Dave, in a fifth wheel; from New Mexico, Colleen and Dan, missionaries for Jehovah witness.

We asked the usual questions, as where to do groceries, buy wine, and other useful staples.  Thes people have been camping here for three years; they know the local habits and places. It is really great, as this saves us from ‘groping’ in very broken Spanish, asking for help.

We end up at the Bodega (a Wal-Mart grocery/general store chain). Store is fine for day to day staples, where avocadoes are 30 cents a kilo, or about 5 for a dollar…meat choice is limited, but looks good.

What a surprise as we meet Ross and Ruth-Ann! In 37 years of grocery shopping in Oakville we NEVER met a neighbor or friend! This is a good omen, we think.

Everything around here is casual. Louise went to the pools, one is a warm pool, filled from hot springs, and the other one is a regular, but gigantic pool, a tad colder but very attractive.

In the far end, there is a picnic area, where a party is obviously in progress. Singing, laughing and kids playing everywhere.  Then they move towards a big tree and attach a large paper bag, shaped as a Christmas tree.  Kids, and adults alike, one at a time, try to knock the tree out while being blindfolded. The crowd cheers them shouting right, left, up or down as the blinded person knock air, mostly… lots of laughs!

This is the piñata, an ancient custom. We are invited to participate, and we give it a try. These people are so friendly. They are the family of the wife of the owner. All of them speak English, even the younger children.

Briefly, from Wiki, “A piñata is a brightly-colored paper container filled with candy and/or toys. It is generally suspended on a rope from a tree branch or ceiling and is used during celebrations. A succession of blindfolded, stick-wielding children try to break the piñata in order to collect the sweets (traditionally sugarcane) and/or toys inside of it. It has been used for hundreds of years to celebrate special occasions such as birthdays, Christmas and Easter.”

As one knocks the piñata, it relieves the seven deadly sin from his or her body. At Christmas, the piñata should be a seven pointed star container, representing the seven deadly sins.

When the piñata breaks, all the candies drop and everyone has a little bag to store them for further enjoyment.

To complete the ‘fiesta’ the grand mother came from Guadalajara, all dressed up, looking like a grand lady, that she probably is as we discovered that these families are very old Spanish nobility. They own quite a lot of land and buildings, including the pace we are in now, Roca Azul. (More on this later)

You can browse some pictures here.