Christmas, New Years and Homecoming in the Workshop

By the time I arrived at the airport Thursday it was mid-day and the rains had already begun. The ladies were worried about their houses and transportation, and I hadn't slept in a good while, so we decided to postpone our first meeting to Friday.

The first thing that greeted me as I walked through the door to the workshop the next day were shrieks accompanied by handfuls of yellow confetti, which the ladies had saved from their New Years celebrations so we could continue the festivities together when I arrived.

Once I'd made it through a long line of kisses and bear hugs (you start to fear for your life with some of these women -- they are strong ladies), Andrea and Frida served up hot chocolate with cinnamon and anis and panetón, Peru's much nicer version of fruit cake.  The confetti, they told me, was to bring in our New Year, and they'd saved the food to celebrate Christmas together as Ñañas.

Although it's begun to change in recent years, in most Latin American countries Christmas gifts aren't exchanged until the Epiphany, or La Bajada de los Magos, which marks the official end of Christmas.  Below: Our three kings, Rosita (Amelia's daughter), Salma (Victoria's granddaughter), and Mileidy (Marleni's youngest) pose in front of the knitted Nativity scene the ladies made last year.

 Once our Christmas fare was finished, the music was turned on, and the dancing began.  Officially home with the Ñañas.