Tuesday at IESC

Michael and I were really surprised to see all the kids with play horses taking up the street in front of the church when we tried to turn the corner in front of the church. We couldn't even get into our parking spot. So, I parked the car in another place and learned that the little kids were practicing a tradition from one of the provinces in the interior.

This is folklorico week for the grade school kids. Yesterday, Tuesday, I didn't teach at all. First off, the other band teacher didn't show and he has the key to the room. The band was on its way home from Costa Rica, so I guess he wanted the day off. Turned out for the best.

Later, I learned about another tradition from the interior about greasy pole climbing called Palo de cebado. The pole was greased with pork fat and four teams of eight tried to reach the top. I stayed for over an hour and no one had made it. I don't know if they did. Apparently, this is done all the time outside the city. One teacher told me in her day the kids practiced all year long and when the day came, it was easy for them. These students had never done it, so it was quite a challenge. Below are photos.

Waiting for the parade to start.


Off to parade around the neighborhood.


The kids returning from the parade.


Here are the students waiting for the palo de cebado contest to start. Notice all the space in front of them.


Teams are getting instructions.

So much space for the teams to work in.

As you can see, the police tape is still up and students are closing in.

Now, the police tape is down and everyone crowds around the teams as they attempt the climb to the top. We teachers lost all control. Everyone started to participate, including some of the teachers.