Fiesta Catracha 2012

Yes! I'm writing my second blog post within a month! Rejoice! Admittedly, September is a big month for Hondurans. It's Independence month and just about every week there is some sort of celebration, including this past Monday's Dia del Niño or "Day of the Child." (I'm looking forward to Dia de la Mujer or "Day of the Woman," but I've got a few months to go).  

Today, is Honduras' Dia de la Independencia or Independence Day! Viva Honduras! And Viva No-School-Yesterday too! As such, this past Thursday was the fabulous Fiesta Catracha - Honduran Festival (sounds kinda lame in English). 

The word catracho means Honduran. It derives from the last name of Florencio Xatruch, a famous Honduran general in the 1800's. The Hondurans were fighting against forces in Nicaragua at the time. Some general named William Walker could not say Florencio's last name correctly. Instead of za-TROOSH, they said za-TRAHCH, and finally ca-TRAHCH. This evolved into the word catracho (ca-TRAH-cho). 

It's weird to think that I was also here for last year's Fiesta Catracha, which happened in October. I was subbing for kindergarden at the time and we went on a field trip for most of the day. It reminds me how much has changed this past year.

I say, let the festivities begin!

Below is a picture of my students learning to fold the Honduran flag. In the background is Mr. Barahona, the social studies coordinator, looking gleeful. 

Unveiled!

Some characters from Honduras' history (including what appears to be some sort of native-hippie-runner).

I believe that's the famous general, Francisco Morazan. on the left. Tegucigalpa is located in the Honduran department (sort of like a state) of Francisco Morazan. More importantly, the guy on the left is Ricky and he's in my drama class.

Wait, I may have lied. The guy in the suit to the left is Morazan. . . It's one of those two! Ben and Christina pose with their students.

Here we have one of the mujigangas. These are like paper mache hats/masks worn during parades. I googled this word but I came up with mojigangas with an "o" instead. Not sure if catrachos just spell it differently or what. Either way, they were fun to watch. This kid is wearing a mujiganga-like bag over his head and his pants are sitting way below his waistline. The sleeves of the shirt are stuffed so those aren't his real arms. It's a strange effect.

Dancin' with the kids. 

Dancing with the teachers. 

Up close - kind of hideous.  

Another tradition for Fiesta Catracha, calls for rows of displays representing each department of Honduras. This part of a display caught my eye. Comayagua is a department of Honduras known mostly for it's semana santa tradition of "carpets" made of saw dust. Each year, on the night before Easter, these elaborate carpets are created, depicting religious images and designs. On Easter, the carpets are purposefully ruined by the Easter parade. Here, the students created an image of the department itself with the same technique.

Painting 'C's' for Choluteca, another of Honduras's departments, know for its scorching heat. 

The display for Olancho. Remember? The "wild west of Honduras?" The cowboy boots and the sombreros are very fitting.

One of my former students, Stephanie, painted this. . .

 . . . and this for the display. We made a deal: I make her earrings and she paints me beautiful pictures.

Some of my lovely students from last year. Miss these girls!

More face-painting and a PHOTO BOMB. Can you see it? 

Estee, my roommate, doing what she does best. 

Ms. Molly Cooper and her students. 

Spencer's all decked out and ready to perform some traditional Honduran dances later.

Another of my students from last year. She's standing by her painting she made for her display. 

These little first graders are so adorable. Who's that stud in the middle? 

Nikki is a first year teacher - she's a natural! 

Fiesta catracha weather. Not bad! 

Morgan and Tony are also ready in their traditional Honduran gear. 

Some of my students from last year - they grew up! Sigh. Miss these guys. 

Selling cheese from Olancho - the dairy capital of Honduras. 

The food lines were horribly long, but we managed to get some Honduran enchiladas which are like Mexican tostadas. 

Ready for the main event. 

The procession begins with the kindergardeners. Showing some sass! The girl on the left is not impressed.

The high school marching band. I'd never seen marching xylophones before coming to Honduras. 

These young students represent each of Honduras' departments. 

Look at the classy guy marching for Copan!

One of my students on the bass drum. 

Sisters!

Technically, teachers were supposed to wear jeans with a "grid" shirt. I had no idea "grid" meant "plaid," so I wore my Green Day shirt from last year. I was able to get my "C" tattoos for Choluteca, though, and I would've gotten a good picture of them, too, if Mr. Winkler didn't have his own secret plans. 

Well, I never! He teaches math, so I understand his need to lash out at others.

Because of the holiday, this weekend is three days long. Hallelujah! Yesterday, some of my colleagues and I visited Picacho (for a great view of the entire city) and Valle (for some wonderful food and palletas). 

Hopefully, I will post more pictures in time to get over the outcome of the MSU v. Notre Dame game. Right now, there's about 5 minutes left in the game. My parents are attending the game in Michigan while I'm watching the same game from Honduras, listening to commentary in Spanish. It's a very odd experience hearing commentators say "meechi-gahn steht" with a very thick accent, but he's owning it! 

Hope everyone enjoys the rest of the weekend!

 ¡VIVA HONDURAS!