The music started. Reminiscent of the Grinch, it started off low and started to grow. I slowly opened one eye, then the next, fumbling for my watch to check the time. While finally locating it on the floor – I’ve never been accused of keeping my side of the bed too neat – it confirmed what the growing light in the bedroom had suggested. It was 6:56 in the morning and a Porteno fiesta was starting outside our balcony.
The voices grew to match the music. An enthusiastic group of middle aged men, and the odd hard partying woman were bringing home an all-night party with a Parrilla on their garden side patio 3 floors below us. Fresh sets of cold drinks were in hand and the charcoal was smoking in minutes.
Despite the language barrier – and for us, a drunken group of Spanish speakers is that – the enthusiasm for the task was evident. This was not the first time they had been on this routine and it would certainly not the last. Dee and I could only laugh and try and recall our own last all nighters. Too long ago indeed!
The clamor died down as they began to tuck into ‘breakfast’. Dee and I contemplated an early start to our run, one of daily constants we have taken part in. We couldn’t help but speculate what prompted an all night party. On a Tuesday. Job promotion? Loss? New addition to the family? Family reunion?
We hit the streets early to find them devoid of people. No walkers, weaving taxis, motorcycles darting though the streets. Even the apartment managers across the city had suspended the meticulous washing of their sidewalks. What did we miss?
After questioning Leticia for a few minutes to begin our Spanish lesson she helped solve it for us. Today was a national holiday to celebrate the Immaculate Conception and when there is a holiday, there is going to be some partying!
Following our lesson we took to the streets to explore a few of the streets near the apartment. The city was dead. We’ve come to expect this on a Sunday, where Porteno tradition dictated a day spent with family and friends far from work. However it seemed to us to be even quieter than that. Even our regular cafés were shut for the first time.
This marked the second national holiday in our three weeks in Argentina and it is evident they take them very seriously. We can’t wait to see what happens in the lead up to Christmas!
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