Día del Amor y la Amistad

Valentine’s Day in Guatemala is a widely-celebrated, much-anticipated event.  It goes by many names:  “Día Del Amor” (Day of Love), “Día del Cariño” (Day of Affection), or “Día del Amor y la Amistad” (Day of Love and Friendship).  The true nature of the holiday is reflected by the last name, as more emphasis is placed upon affection for friends and colleagues than upon romantic relationships.  Kids at school make cards for each other, and coworkers often give each other small gifts.  And just like the US, it’s commercial insanity for a whole month.

I rose early to hand out my valentines to Dina and Angel, Margoth, and the kids.  We had a quick breakfast, and then Uncle Keith and I headed off to school.  We arrived to find teachers trickling in to decorate a large wooden platform with a banner and crepe paper hearts.  For a half hour, we made ourselves busy helping them to finish, and then waited another hour watching kids and teachers running around excitedly, wondering perplexedly about what exactly was going to transpire.

The answer?  A beauty pageant.

Each year, the school elects a “Niña del Cariño,” from grades 1-3, a “Niña de la Carnival,” from grades 4-6, and a “Señorita del Cariño,” from grades 7-9.  Each grade elects one candidate to compete for their respective title.  Winners go on to a competition in the town, and possibly on to city and departmental levels. 

Contestants had to dress up and walk down the runway under the watchful eyes of the judges and the cheering of their peers.  Afterwards, each one said a few words expressing a generic message of love or friendship.  Classmates gathered around, each class bearing a sign in support of their representative.  In addition, kids had come thoroughly prepared with shredded paper and confetti, explosions of which saturated the air and the contestants.

After a break, a second round of the pageant began.  The same girls participated, except all of them reappeared with different attire and hairstyles.  The three girls competing for “Niña de la Carnival” appeared wearing Mardi Gras costumes.  Each girl danced down the runway, and together all of them awaited the judges’ ruling. 

After the winners were announced and congratulations delivered, classmates exchanged cards and each classroom shared pizza or fried chicken as a celebratory end to the day.