We were invited today to participate in the caravan of the oldest Parranda in San Sebastian, (a small hill town about 40 minutes north and east of Rincon). Parrandas grew up in Puerto Rico from an earlier tradition of small groups of local musicians, playing traditional handmade instruments going from house to house in their neighborhood or barrio. From morning until the wee hours of the night. everyone sings and drinks and dances and plays together for a succession of days around Christmas and Three Kings day. Our parranda Los Nietos de Papa, (The Grandsons of the Father) was delayed today because of rain... but the rain passed and at about 12:30 p.m., we were off. From the picture above you can get an idea of the size of the basic truck. This one was just for the musicians, and you can see them getting ready to play.
As is tradition, before going everyone was fed... an asopa de pollo (chicken stew), empanadillas, beer and other beverages. The second part of this parranda is the dancers. The fellow above is clearly getting ready for a great day. The dancers go in there own open air flatbed... all decorated with lights and bunting and signs.
The follow up vehicle is an enormous sound truck. This one has a hydrolic lift that can raise the speakers well above a crowd for maximum sound projection. Here it is pictured at our first stop, a private residence about 2 miles distant from the kick-off point. Here we again began with a prayer and a buffet of food and beverages by the residence. After much song and merriment, the three vehicles of the parranda, followed by two trailers carrying advertising signs of the businesses that sponser the parranda, and a host of cars blaze along, with sirens, horns, lights and music, to the next stop. More tomorrow...
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