¨When was the last time it was OK to throw firecrackers into a crowded street?...Oh yeah...Never!!! I love this place!¨ - a chica from Alaska
New Years Eve, 2007-2008, Cusco, Peru:
I had heard that Cusqueñans believe that one must take a number of precautions in order to have the best luck in the new year. I am not one to take any chances on luck, so that morning I set out to the market in search for the proper lucky necessities.
The first thing to know is that yellow is the color of luck. For example, one must purchase yellow underwear and give them to another person. Yellow underthings were not hard to find. On every corner, people were selling all styles of bright yellow skimpies, some more appropriate than others. I picked out a pair, forked out three soles to pay, and was promptly reminded by the woman selling them that I really ought to buy some flowers for good luck. I gave her another sol for a red and yellow gladiola. (I had heard that girls here believe that red flowers bring good luck in love, and often put red petals in their underwear on New Years eve to help the process.)
As I walked away from that vendor, another quickly called me over, ¨mami, candles here, get your candles here, amiga!¨ Candles? She explained the array of colorful candles on her table. Blue is for health, green is for money, etc etc. I figured I would cover all my bases and buy a multicolored pyramid shaped candle.
I tried to appear focused but the vendors kept calling out to me. Wine? No, gracias. Firecrackers? Tempting, but no, gracias. Grapes? Someone had told me that the custom is to eat 12 grapes 12 seconds before midnight, one grape per second. The inside tip is to buy small grapes and practice your technique before hand. I decided to let the grapes find me when the time was right. Yellow confetti? Insense? Paneton (fruitcake)? No no no! There were too many luck-buying possibilities! I left the market.
++++++++++++++++++++++++
Lillian, Roos, Ana (our house-mates from Belgium) and I continued preparing for the evening by sleeping all afternoon. Around 9pm, we put on our yellow underwear, fixed our hair, and hailed a taxi to the center plaza. We assumd we were set for New Years eve, but really nothing could prepare us for the revelry that was about to ensue!
When we arrived in the center of town, the crowds were starting to form, but we were early enough to have a chance to relax and (wisely) to buy our tickets to the night club in advance. The music in the club was a fun mix of dance music, and I got wrapped up dancing until someone announced it was already 11:45. We hurried out the door to the main plaza.
Throngs and throngs of cerveza-toting, cumbia-dancing, firecracker-throwing revelers had gathered in the Plaza de armas. We pushed our way through the sea of people to a spot beneath balcony where we could see the clock on the church on the far side of the square.
At five to midnight, the firecracker-throwing grew even more intense and the crowd swelled with joyful shouting. There was no count down, but we divined that it was midnight when everyone started grabbing their friends and running into the street. The custom is to run three laps around the main square for good luck. Roos popped open her bottle of champagne and the four of us toasted...Feliz año nuevo! Craving that elusive luck, I cajoled my friends into the road for a jog. We all feared for our lives, due to the fire crackers going off from all sides, but I had yet to see an injury, (and actually would not see one all night, surprisingly.)
We were swept along by the merry crowd, till we got to the church, where there was an explosion which scattered the crowd. We ducked into the church. It was like a sanctuary within a war zone. The priest was saying mass, and the flock was praying. Meanwhile, refuge-seeking partiers wandered around,looking at the ornate paintings and carvings of saints, Jesus, and the apostles. Someone scolded Roos for bringing the champagne into the church.
When there finally was a break in the firecrackers, we ran back outside and completed one lap around the square. One third of a year with good luck was good enough for us! We ran straight back into the night club, and danced for hours in sweaty safety.
Feliz Año!!!
