Penitence- Let It Rain

This past week my community members have been gathering to give penitence. As usually happens, I was dragged off to an event not really knowing where I was going, how long it would take, where it was, or what it really was. This time, the minute I arrived home from the capital, my host family was waiting outside of my house gate, ready to take me to this penitence. So, as a dutiful host daughter, I threw down my bags and rushed out to follow them to the center of the village. We were greeted by loud drum playing and a small wooden, one-roomed building which housed holding one long table with many pictures of the Virgin Mary and saints lain on it. A skull of some sort hung from the ceiling, a goat perhaps? There were candles and a half empty bottle of rum on the floor. The children and the adults crowded into this small building, squishing through the door frames, a strange balance of trying to strain to get a view of the coming events, yet keeping their distance.

When the ceremony started, one man was in charge. He started handing out a few of the pictures and a cross that had a small plastic raven or eagle super glued onto the top. What this bird signified I had no idea, but it reminded me slightly of Sid from Toy Story, putting Barbie doll bodies with dinosaur heads and such, it was nothing like I had ever seen. I was so excited to have been invited to this experience. I am so fascinated by religious practices and this penitence was so unique to the other religious experiences I had had.

My host mother placed a large picture of the virgin mary in my hands insisting that I learn what they are doing and participate, which I was thrilled to do. I carefully watched other on how they held the pictures and we started a procession out of the small blue building around the surrounding houses to make a small circle. We then zeroed in on three blue crosses close to the building and slowing one by one people placed their items- four different depictions of mary, the raven cross, and a candle- at the feet of the largest blue cross. All the while the whole community was singing in a more or less call and response fashion and young men were playing the tall drums, tied to their waists to assist them in playing while they walked in the slow procession.

The community members sang sounds for about an hour and a half. Once one person ran out of songs to sing, another person would try to remember another one. These sounds were full of passion and power. Some of these songs literally said “God give us rain”, but others were more silly and fun. Some people danced to the drums and the singing others sat after a while. It became dark quickly after we started the ceremony. The eairy glow of the candlelight, the loud and forceful singing, with the strong beat of the drums that you could feel straight in your chest, had an incredible impact on me. We sang, drank hot chocolate, and danced until around 10. We then proceeded slowly again into the blue house, the same people in the same order picking up the items and gingerly placing them back on the table inside. The ceremony was then over. They have repeated this same ceremony now 4 times since that night. Though I have not gone every night I truly enjoyed my experience. One night they walked to the play, another night to the church in the community. It is feeling welcome and not like an outsider in these kind of ceremonies that makes me so incredibly grateful to be a peace Corps volunteer. When else in my life could I have experienced this without feeling completely like an outsider.

Now I know the real question you are asking is did it rain?. Well in the last couple of days since the penitence has started it has sprinkled a little bit in the evenings, but I still feel the real rain is coming. We will see what comes of this penitence.