Homage of the Gauchos

So the sunday before last, two really important things happened in Salta, one being Father's Day and the other being the Festival of the Gauchos, or the Homage of the Gauchos (gaucho= cowboy).
I'll start with Father's day.
Here in the Zarate household Father's day passes quite normally. Leading up to the day, there are commercials for various tech related gadgets, candy, etc. We woke up a little early at 9 and showered my host dad, Noel, with gifts. I had been sick all that week with the flu, so I accompanied my host mom to buy some of the gifts in the mall last week. Later that day the whole family came over for lunch and a desert. The families exchanged gifts to the respected male members of the family and after many hours of eating, every one of the kids were passed out on whatever surface we could find. I feel like every meal I eat here gives me a worst case of "the itis" than Thanksgiving does. Overall Father's Day is pretty traditional and was fun.

On Saturday afternoon and evening, the gauchos started arriving. I was in the center with one of my friends when all of a sudden the gauchos came riding through the center on their horses and paraded through the streets. The festival is to commemorate General Juan Martin Miguel de Guemes, and on the 16th, the gauchos come to the Monument of Guemes to stand guard during the night and just remember him with bonfires, folk music, and a good time.

 The gauchos standing guard

Juan Martin Miguel is remember for being the liberator of the country that, along with the gauchos, served to support the Army commanded by San Martin to keep the ideals of independence and national sovereignty. 

On the 17th, the streets in front of the monument are lined with visitors from other provinces and from all around Salta in order to see the parade. The parade reminded me a lot of the the memorial day parade back in GR because they had little boy and girl scout types, different clubs from the town, and a few really strange things. 

 This are traffic signals and carrying them are the traffic directors. Reminded me a lot of color guard but with traffic signs.

 Some gauchos riding them ponies

Here is a little clip of some of the dancers in the parade

^^^ this video will appear when it finished uploading... if it ever does. sorry if you can't see it

Also I ate cotton candy which was yellow. It was the first time I had yellow cotton candy, which apparently is better than the blue one but I think it tastes the same...

Also the day before Sunday, on the Saturday (cause you on Sunday come afterwards) I went to the center with a friend of mine, and we were sitting on the steps in front of the cathedral, which is a major meeting place (we were waiting for a friend), and then WHAM! I look to my left, and of course I didn't have my glasses, so I think to myself wow that guy looks a lot like Lewis from Australia. I do that weird squinty look when I can't see that makes me look really angry you know like -_- and then WHAM! "Wait that is Lewis!" I don't know if I mentioned Lewis before in my second or third blog about the orientation camp, but Lewis is this guy...

Lewis lives in the Province below mine called Tucuman which is 3 hours away.

So me and my friend ended up spending the night with him at the festival and then Lydia came too, and she had an exciting last two weeks because her family from Connecticut (like her home family from not Argentina) came to visit! So it was really nice getting to meet them!

I hope everyone is having a great summer!! 

New post up in a few days! Chau!