Being Lost, Dominican Service and Fiesta de los Palos

Last weekend was such a crazy weekend. Mostly because of the little things, so it probably won’t seem that crazy as I recount it. In any case, we had a great time and went on many adventures! We also crossed a couple of the 25 retos off our lists :) It all started with a birthday party for one ofour friends (we have been here exactly a month and have had 4 birthdays to celebrate, with about a thousand more to go...:) ) Stephen and I were headed on our way, got off the concho at the right spot and were heading down the right road. After about 20 minutes of walking we were pretty sure we had gone past where we were supposed to (we get lost a lot, not too big of a deal anymore haha). We ask people along the way where things are, but if they don't know they typically give us an answer anyway because they'd rather have a wrong answer than no answer. Anyway, it was around this time that a man’s head and torso popped up over the 8-foot brick wall and he shouted out something so loudly and so suddenly above our heads that Stephen screamed like a little girl (I may have jumped a little...). We still do not know what the big deal was. Anyway, we eventually made it to the restaurant after turning back and making several phone calls. We first ordered our drinks. About 45 minutes later they came out. We then ordered our food. About an hour and a half later it came out (cultural lesson: service in the Dominican Republic is not as timely as service in the US and it doesn’t even matter if you are there so early that no one else is at the restaurant yet). After we shoveled down our food, we split up. Some people went to see the (great) Aguilas game (It was in the championship series-them against a team from Santo Domingo. Best out of 9 goes to the Caribbean series.They went all the way to the 9^th game...I will get to that later :))

The rest of us went to Fiesta de los Palos. It was a really strange and really good experience. Although the African roots of the Dominican people are rarely recognized by this people who strive to assert their Spanish and European blood, there are some ways in which the African influence shines through in the culture, and Fiesta de los Palos is one of those things. Musical and rhythmic African expression is closely tied to religious culture, and this fiesta which meets once a month is sort of a celebration of this heritage. Men gather around and sing and play on various sorts of drums, but the most prominent is the kind that is long (about up to a person’s waist) and the player straddles it to play it. Like our praise teams, they take drink breaks in between songs, but unlike our praise teams, their drink of choice is whiskey, I believe. Along with the instruments there is some sort of ritual dance that is beautiful and very different from the popular Dominican dances. One woman got so into it that she ended up laying on the ground and her partner had to “call her” to get up.

If I’m being honest, I was a little nervous at first of going to this celebration. I wasn’t entirely sure if this was a Christian form of expression or more like voodoo (from what I gather, I believe they take aspects from both). In our culture we don’t talk or think too much about various spirits, and we don’t have ritual dances that we perform to “divinities” or to religious leaders.There are some Catholic influences in this fiesta, but there are many secular aspects as well. I was a little scared of getting involved with something that is so spiritual but with aspects of voodoo. But I knew that it would be an important cultural experience, and in the end, I knew that I can rest in the security of my heart in God’s hands. And I am really glad I went, if nothing else to think more seriously about spiritual warfare and see a different way of religion. Though I don’t share their views, I can learn something from their dedication and expression. But I also did enjoy learning a new style of dance. And I felt so...fulfilled and blessed to be able to rest in the hope and assurance in 1 John: “Dear friends, do not believe in every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world...You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” (1 John 4:1,4)