We have been preparing for Christmas with our fellow Nicaraguans since our arrival. Yes, on November 1st when we arrived in Nicaragua, the lights and decorations were ready to go! Every rotunda (traffic circle) was decked out in lights and all of the shopping centers had their trees and nativity scenes up. On December 6th and 7th we partook in the Feast of the Epiphany and La Griteria.
We have also been doing some baking. Pictured below is a traditional cookie called a rosquilla that we baked with our friend’s mom. It doesn’t look that appetizing, but the batch was eaten pretty quickly. We had to add the picture of his niece, who is the cutest and spunkiest two year old.
We also made a few of our favorite Christmas baked goods from home. We had to make a few revisions, but they all turned out pretty well.
We had to be pretty creative with our gift giving here in Managua. I found some links on pinterest for homemade gifts, but we had few issues along the way. Nicaragua does not have mason jars, so we decided to use vinegar bottles. This required a couple nights of peeling labels and a week long of soaking out the vinegar smell. We also had difficulty finding twine, candy canes and several other important ingredients. There are some days when I would just love to have a Hobby Lobby or Michaels close by! In the end we came up with these…if you are interested in the recipes, click below. I guarantee that you will have a much easier time!
We also tried to make our first batch of homemade chocolate. As the fermenting process was underway, the beans became moldy. Oh no! We will have to figure out how to avoid this in the future.
I was very excited about this great find. They are going to serve as our Christmas napkins this year. I love the non-traditional colors and birds always make me happy! And here is a picture of our office Christmas tree!
The culture of Nicaragua is rich with traditions around the Christmas season. We are excited to learn more about these and celebrate alongside our brothers and sisters, even if that does mean lighting off fireworks every night for two months.
May we all remember the reason why we celebrate.
For unto us a child is born…the Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6
3 comments:
bonita arbol!
Put a bird on it!!
lol...is this Ed??
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