Happy Day of the Dead!!!!!

Does anyone else find that title quite strange?

Yup.

Not sure how celebrating the dead is happy, but whatever....

Tomorrow (in 38 minutes to be exact.... I've got a bit of a congestion issue going on and I refuse to take Nyquil. I smuggled this drug into the country but it is to my own detriment. There are serious addiction issues that I face when I start taking it and the withdrawal symptoms I experience are killer)

Where was I?

Oh ya...

Tomorrow is All Souls Day, Day of the Dead, Día de los Fieles Difuntos or, Día de Muertos.

No matter what title you give to it, it just sort of lacks that perky ring to it.

In Ecuador it is a celebration of one's dead ancestors (apparently it is a little different that the Day of the Dead in Mexico, which more North Americans would be familiar with).

Well, anywho, to celebrate this fine day, Ecuadorians enjoy

guaguas de pan y colada morada.

And we did the same, albeit a little early.

Guagua is Quechua for "baby".

De Pan is "of bread".

All the bakeries make and sell these - and they are usually filled with jam or something sweet.

Colada morada is a drink made of several berries, spices and oatmeal to thicken.

By the way, does that one guagua, with the blue skwigglies, seam to have a smug expression on it's face? Quite something for a baby who is going to be eaten.

So, you eat babies of bread and drink hot, thick berry type juice.

In smaller villages, where tradition is still much stronger than here in the city, people will dress in their finest clothes, go to the graveyard and have this feast on top of the graves of their loved ones. They leave a plate of food for them as well.

(I'm thinking the birds like this day....

I can just picture the swarm over the graveyard after everyone is gone. Good eats!)

The kids actually like it.

I knew they'd chow down on the babies but I thought they would turn their little noses up on the colada morada.

But I admit it - I was wrong.

Oh, but instead of drinking it, we dipped.

While the kids liked it, personally, I will stick to a different kind of colada.

Piña is preferable.*

I feel so blessed, even though I write with sarcastic tones, to experience all these cool things from this culture.

I can't get over the fact that God chose us to be here - an amazing privilege.

*And yes, that would be virgin.... the ones with alcohol are disgusting, according to my taste buds.

And I think it is best that I feel that way considering the previous mention of Nyquil!