A day of music and ghouls

Like the “OK” that so easily splashes conversations worldwide, the commercialization of snowmen and plastic Christmas trees, Americanization has once again found its way into another culture, threatening to wipe out a national tradition with the materialistic holiday of candies and skeletons.

El Día de la Canción Criolla, or The Day of the Criole Song”, always celebrated on the 31^st of October began 71 years ago.  Born of a rich mixture of peoples, with traditional drums and guitars the music reflects Peruvian history from African slaves brought to the country, to indigenous groups living for millennia in this land and to the Spanish who made their mark nearly 500 years ago. 

Though Peruvians speak of their holiday with pride and radio stations do feature fitting artists, I have yet to witness the traditional celebration of this special day.  My students always tell me “You know the 31^st is El Día de la Canción Criolla,” only to segue into another thought a moment later, “Hey! I went shopping for a Halloween costume for my daughter,” or “I love Halloween.  I’m going to buy sweets.” 

Disguised as Laura Ingalls Wilder for six of my seven years of elementary school and as a high school graduate the only other year, I remember many years of celebrations as we paraded down Main Street in small town Nebraska with our class.  The glimpses I now catch of fairies, pirates, skeletons, monsters  and Disney characters chaotically roaming international department stores and the mall is a far cry from those fun memories.  I see smiles on children’s faces and adults alike as they think consider themselves sophisticated celebrating an international tradition and I am knotted.  I am happy for their pleasure, saddened by their lack of commitment to their own holiday and surprised by the way it all plays out.

This little girl isn’t doing any trick-or-treating; nevertheless, in the spirit of autumn in the USA, our little Peruvian is decked out to celebrate a tradition from her maternal homeland, while listening to the radio to honor her fatherland.