Elkin's 2nd and a Fiesta of Our Own

Birthdays are BIG in Guatemala, so when my friend Katie's host family invited me to their son's second birthday party, I knew I was in for a good time (and a lot of tamales). Katie lives on my way home from the capitol and as I had errands the day before, a visit was feasible. A few other friends also made the trip to partake in the festivities.

The party preparations started early, we were up until nearly midnight the night before preparing almost 200 tamales for the feast. The next morning we were beckoned early to finish preparations, down a breakfast tamale, and herd the kids in to wait for the clown. No Guatemalan birthday party is complete without a giant paper animal to whack to death with a wooden stick, and this party was no exception- we had two piñatas and mayhem ensued after the candy began to fall. The morning ended with cake and birthday blessings for little Elkin.

The party continued throughout the day with a lunch, birthday church service and more tamales, but as friend's of Katie's we were excused to rest and hang out in her house. The four of us ended the day with a celebration of our own- Gringa style- kabobs, wine and some much needed catching up.

The birthday boy got a overwhelmed with all the activity

Stashing the spoils of the piñata



Fernando wasn't so sure about the clown