The Purissima

Before heading to Leon for the rowdy Griteria festival in honour of the Virgin Mary, we joined the more religious, community-based Purissima celebration in Sontule on 7th December. Rogelio and Lucia play a central role in the event at the local, no-frills Catholic church and put an admirable amount of effort into preparing and providing gift bags for all attendees, from adults through to children. As a result, hundreds of people turned out and packed into the church.

Jonny particularly loved his first appearance in church, weddings and funerals excepted, for about 20 years.

At the end of the service, the kids queued up eagerly outside to receive a bag of sweets, a drink and a little toy.

The adults each received a bag containing a plastic cup, a drink, an orange, a banana, some syrup-soaked pumpkin-type vegetable, a few bought sweets as well as home-made banana and toasted maize sweets. Our first Christmas presents of the year.