Diego
Ferre is one of many small communities that in total make up the city of
Chiclayo. It is bordered to the east by Chiclayo’s airport and to the northwest
by the Real Plaza Mall. At some point in its early life each community is given
a certificate indicating its legitimacy as an administrative unit and date of
recognition. Many of these communities hold an annual street fair to celebrate
their anniversary. The purpose beyond celebrating is to raise money for the
community, which usually includes the neighborhood church. Diego Ferre
celebrated this past weekend.
Diego
Ferre’s church celebrated its thirty-seventh anniversary this year. We’ve
attended two weddings, a baptism and a funeral service in this church. The
church was built mostly from local residents donating to a ‘buy a brick’
program. Much of the proceeds realized from fair sales go toward maintenance of
the church.
A
typical street fair lasts from two to four days. It starts with setting up
portable kiosks in the street surrounding the neighborhood’s principal park.
The kiosks are used to prepare and sell food, house games and hold raffle
prizes. Prizes are either purchased from small sums donated or are provided by
merchants.
One
of the kiosks is used as a jail. For 50 cents you can have the jailer arrest anyone
you choose and have them incarcerated. I took advantage of the opportunity. I
reminded Maribel that she had forgotten to buy coffee that day and had her
thrown in the ‘slammer’.
What
I enjoy most about these fairs is the feeling of camaraderie. The people
working the kiosks are all local volunteers. Most are long-time residents who
take pride in their church and community. Fair visitors not from the
neighborhood are treated cordially but reservedly as is common with most
Peruvians when dealing with ‘strangers’. If the stranger wants to, all that’s necessary
to break the ice is to make a friendly comment during or after purchasing and consuming
some delicious anticuchos and picarones. Voicing the traditional - “barriga llena…
corazòn contento” (belly is full, heart is content) will always trigger a flood
of smiles, questions and comments faster than the no-longer-a-stranger can reply to.
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