Altagracia, Oct. 26, 2008
4:12 a.m.
I awoke fitfully to the sound of tribal-like drumming, weaving in and out of my dreams. The primordial “thud-thud” of the drums gradually came closer, stronger. Suddenly, the beating filled my bedroom with an intensity too loud to deny, jolting me into alertness. The musical heartbeat reverberated from the street to my ears and my chest. I laid there, overcome by this twilight performance. I imagined the scene on the other side of my concrete wall: a group of solemn drummer boys, pacing through my neighborhood in unison, banging the life out of their blue-and-red snare drums.
As the drumming faded to the west, my heart calmed and a smile drew across my face. All of a sudden, it occurred to me why in the world Nicaraguans would be drumming at this hour; I remembered a moment yesterday afternoon when Dora’s niece had blurted out to me, “Tomorrow they are taking Saint Diego out of the church!” Obviously, this musical escapade was our literal neighborhood “wake-up call” to the Patron Saint festivals of the weeks to come.
Just as I began to drift back to sleep, content with my analysis of the raucous outside my window, a firecracker screeched into the sky, breaking the sweet silence left by the faraway drums. “Oh, Nicaragua!” I muttered as I reached for my ear plugs, hoping to catch a couple more hours of shut eye before sunrise.
* * *
6:32 p.m.
As the priest concluded his sermon, proclaiming the greatness of Altagracia’s Patron Saint Diego, the now-familiar drumming resounded throughout the church. The churchgoers sprung to life. Some rushed through the aisles to the altar, nearly knocking me to the ground in their urgency to witness this act. Most others leaped to their feet, filling the aisles, with branches in hand. The church became a sea of flora, each person pumping their branch towards the heavens, creating a rally of joy. I had come prepared as well, with my greenish-maroon leafy branch in hand, not wanting to miss out on this intriguing tradition. We accompanied the statue of Saint Diego safely out of the Church to be blessed with folklore dances. Thereafter we paraded him around the park, bobbing and stepping with our leafy stalks.
Why, you ask, are we bobbing around with branches? Well, to request that Saint Diego ward off a potential plague of leaf-cutter ants, of course! Legend has it that long ago Ometepe suffered from a plague of pests that was destroying their crops but after praying to Saint Diego with their frail harvest in hand, the plague miraculously went away.
And, not only will Saint Diego keep pests from destroying our crops but he will also protect us from potential eruptions of the active volcano, the ominous backdrop of Altagracia. It is rumored that many years ago the Concepción Volcano spewed lava down her steep slopes, and the villagers lugged Saint Diego up there to protect them. After Saint Diego had appeared at the site of the lava flow, it immediately solidified, saving the villages below.
So, I ask you, why not grab a branch and take Saint Diego for a few laps around the park every year?
* * *
Dora tells me that I can expect to hear the drumming on a daily basis until Nov. 18, the official end of the Saint Diego days. While it isn’t always my favorite sound early in the morning, or any odd hour of the day, it does serve as a good reminder. It reminds me of all the fervor that is building with the smörgåsbord of music, fireworks, food, new knick-knacks for sale in the park, Miss Altagracia contests, and, in the background, the lively political parades, parties, and events for the upcoming local elections.
But the “thud-thud” of the drums is also a reminder of the passing of time, the now. In fact, it reminds me of the Buddhist monk on Bainbridge, pacing along Wyatt Way in his orange cloak, counting time with each strike of his drum. And what better time to be reminded to “live in the moment” than this time of tremendous celebration.
Maggie Pettit is writing a monthly column during her year-long stay on Ometepe Island. Please visit WWW.bosia.org to learn more about the sister islands relationship and how to get inolved.
