they do not tire of celebrating

It’s day four of the five-day party here in my little village. The Festa Major doesn't seem to stop for my neighbors.

On the first day, there was a dinner in the plaça, starting at 9:45 pm, and the music went on until 2, 3 in the morning. That’s child’s play for a Spaniard, I guess, because last night, there was an afternoon dance (that started at 8 pm) followed by more “modern” music that I am guessing went all night, judging from all the extra bars set up at our local bar/restaurant, Bar Casal, and the bar at the pool… but also because at 7 in the morning, here came all the young people, dancing along with the brass band marching through the streets, into the plaça, back out again… it seems they don’t get tired.

Still to come, we have a solemn service at the hermitage at 12:30, after which there will be vermouth (yes, drinks after church, of course, what—my neighbor didn’t understand why this amused me) and music in the plaça. Tonight (this “afternoon”), yet another “ball,” a dance, and the fun continues into Monday with outdoor bowling in the morning and an “aquatic park” at the pool all day (read: the pool has inflatable slides and such all around the edge), and then one last musical celebration, the “gran escala en hi-fi.” We’ll have to wait to see what in the heck that is: an escala is a ladder or a scale.

And then, what, they all go off to work like normal on Tuesday? Or do they get a day to fall over and sleep for 24 hours? Have they been sleeping every day of the festival after lunch until that 8:00 “afternoon” dance? How are they doing this? Is it because they started out well rested? How? Spaniards, how do you do this? Please, let me know.

Because it isn’t just the young people. People older than me are out til 5:30 in the morning, like it’s a normal thing. 

I have to confess, I am too new to all of this to be able to hang. I went to bed at 12:30 last night, so early for my neighbors, but for me- it’s so late! I’m looking forward to learning the tricks of Spanish life that makes this possible, even as people age. Perhaps next year, when we’ve had a full year living here, I’ll be right alongside the neighbors, dancing despite the heat, up til all hours to “disfrutar de la vida,” but right now, I sure do look like a weak American unable to keep up.

And that’s okay, because it’s true: I am a weak American unable to keep up.