Fifteenth birthday parties (quinceneras) are the most significant ones for girls in Catholic countries. Traditionally, it was a coming-of-age, time to get married occasion. We've been invited to a couple now and they have both been quite different from one another.
Last night was party night in Sontule. For the first time since we've been going there, the entire family turned out: Rogelio and Lucia, with their six children and eight grandchildren plus a good turn out of local friends and neighbours. Marciel is their eldest granddaughter and lives over the road, as well as attending my kids English class, so we see a lot of her.
They'd gotten hold of a pick-up truck in Esteli to bring up the family from there and the enormous birthday cake pictured above. We spent the afternoon making rice-crispy cakes, pop-corn and decorating the house, while the family made an enormous pan of rice and chicken. 
It wouldn't be any kind of event in Nicaragua without the speeches and Don Rogelio rose to the occasion with messages of love, God and happiness. 
After the speeches and food, the dancing got under way. In Nicaragua, people don't ask you if you enjoyed a party but rather if you danced a lot, which to them, amounts to the same thing. While dancing is obligatory, how much and how enthusiastically you do it is optional. Rachel stayed on the fringes while I did some hip wiggling and got challenged to a dance-off by Rogelito which was declared a draw after I replied to an impressive display of bandy legs and a bridge with my swallow-dive breakdance move. Rachel chose well to enjoy some calmer dancing later on.
Our rice-crispy cakes turned out disappointingly crumbly but Rachel's brainwave of serving the mixture up in paper cones was a hit with the locals who luckily for us had mostly never eaten rice-crispies before so had no clue as to the poor quality of our party treat.
They'd gotten hold of a pick-up truck in Esteli to bring up the family from there and the enormous birthday cake pictured above. We spent the afternoon making rice-crispy cakes, pop-corn and decorating the house, while the family made an enormous pan of rice and chicken. 
It wouldn't be any kind of event in Nicaragua without the speeches and Don Rogelio rose to the occasion with messages of love, God and happiness. 
After the speeches and food, the dancing got under way. In Nicaragua, people don't ask you if you enjoyed a party but rather if you danced a lot, which to them, amounts to the same thing. While dancing is obligatory, how much and how enthusiastically you do it is optional. Rachel stayed on the fringes while I did some hip wiggling and got challenged to a dance-off by Rogelito which was declared a draw after I replied to an impressive display of bandy legs and a bridge with my swallow-dive breakdance move. Rachel chose well to enjoy some calmer dancing later on.
Our rice-crispy cakes turned out disappointingly crumbly but Rachel's brainwave of serving the mixture up in paper cones was a hit with the locals who luckily for us had mostly never eaten rice-crispies before so had no clue as to the poor quality of our party treat.
It was great to meet the members of the family who live in Esteli and who we hadn't met yet and most importantly Marciel had a great 15th birthday party.
The other quincenera we went to was the city version, of the daughter of a good friend of our friend Nicholas in Leon. Firstly there was a church service with lots of smart people, the whole affair looking more like a wedding to our English eyes although we did only get there in time for the post-service photos. 
We managed to scrub up well for the do as is clear in this picture of Rachel looking fabulous, holding Naomi, a little friend in Leon.
The party was quite a contrast to the Sontule celebrations- in a reception venue rather than a front room and with a higher budget reflected in the dress and cake and the dress on the cake.
Of course material trimming really aren't the making of a party, that would be the people, the food and the music. And so it was that in both parties we enjoyed the company of friends, ate well, and danced to a mixed bag of Salsa, Reggeton and 80's pop (Oh for a night of good music!)
Throwing some shapes.
We managed to scrub up well for the do as is clear in this picture of Rachel looking fabulous, holding Naomi, a little friend in Leon.
The party was quite a contrast to the Sontule celebrations- in a reception venue rather than a front room and with a higher budget reflected in the dress and cake and the dress on the cake.
Of course material trimming really aren't the making of a party, that would be the people, the food and the music. And so it was that in both parties we enjoyed the company of friends, ate well, and danced to a mixed bag of Salsa, Reggeton and 80's pop (Oh for a night of good music!)
Throwing some shapes.
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