October 27-28
Hello everyone!
Though based in Granada for three days, we actually spent one afternoon and night in the nearby, much larger city of Masaya. Two reasons for this:
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| Volcan Masaya |
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| Aguizotes festival in Masaya |
One of these was very much intentional. A trip up to Volcan Masaya is said to be a must if you visit Nicaragua. It is found in Masaya Volcano National Park, which was the first national park in the country.
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| Masaya is about 16 km northwest of Granada |
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| There are actually five craters in the park |
The volcano itself was described by the Spanish as one of the ‘Gates of Hell’. You can understand this better if you come and see it after dark. The fierce red glow of a semi-circle (you can’t see the whole of the magma chamber) rages against the darkness, even on a borderline full moon.
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The Spanish corresponded about
an eruption from here in 1524 |
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| It was almost a full moon when we visited |
This is what makes Masaya quite unique: it is one of the few places in the world where you can see a lava lake within a volcano. I’ve been lucky enough to see one of these in Ethiopia, but they are always powerful to witness.
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| The temperature of the lava? Only about 300℃... |
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There is a small yet interesting museum about
halfway between the entrance and the craters |
Surprisingly, I couldn’t really feel the heat the same way I did when peering over Erta Ale. There was a bit of a sulphuric smell from Masaya but nothing overpowering.
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| The crater in daylight |
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| Being an active volcano, it is certainly peligrosa |
That red glow is much more apparent after the Sun has gone. Whilst it is still daylight, there are limited walks around the crater which offers incredible views around the national park, with the city of Masaya also visible.
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| Lots of grass away from the main craters |
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| A lake and the city of Masaya in the distance |
The city itself was our next stop, being visited after dark on the way home. Larger than Granada, it lacked a lot of the colonial charm of its more famous eastern neighbour. Not that we were here for architecture…
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| A church near the central park |
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| Standard Friday night clothing |
Welcome to Agüizotes. The word Agüizote comes from the indigenous Nahuatl language. ‘Agüi’ stands for water and ‘zote’ means fright. Therefore agüizotes means…fright near water.
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| A group of women on a moving cart |
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| Raggedy Ann being crucified? |
On the last Friday of each October, locals (and people from further afield) come together to commemorate San Jeronimo, the city's patron saint. You could also argue that they simply host the world’s largest Halloween-style fancy dress party.
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| I read that costumes are prepared and laid out the night before |
The idea behind the parade is to scare evil away. As well as walking together as one large snaking throng of scary characters, many will jump up and down, shoot fire from gas canisters and attempt to spook onlookers. Hannah got flicked by a dead fish hanging from a fishing rod, for example.
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Masaya is known as the 'Cradle of National Folklore',
probably explaining why this parade happens here |
I found out about this by chance. On a walking tour in Leon, another visitor said that this was happening on Friday. I asked around about it in Granada and very few people seemed to know what I was talking about, let alone be organising a trip to see it.
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| It happens annually on the last Friday in October |
I had been sent a poster, however, showing that the event was indeed happening. We thus drove into the town from the volcano, finding one or two clues about the evening as we walked towards the centre.
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| Just about the only evidence that something was happening |
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The celebration features spirits of the dead,
characters from indigenous horror stories...and things like this... |
The central park itself had some…interesting decorations. It was also filling up with people wearing masks and costumes.
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| Mooove out of the way! |
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| Final preparations in the park |
The main thing I knew was that there was going to be some sort of parade which ended in this park. We followed a crowd of zombies, ogres and ghouls who seemed to be heading towards what we assumed was the start of the parade. After finding some cheap food, we waited on the side of the road…and waited…
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| Thousands of people lined the route |
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| Many take it as an opportunity to pose |
It was supposed to start at 8pm. About half an hour later, a small truck came into view in the distance. It was carrying a collection of women dressed in red or black, all dancing along to the music. It seemed like it had begun, even with vendors selling food and drinks in the middle of the swarm of people.
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| Our all-female, all-singing-and-dancing scarers |
Behind this was the real parade. Thousands of people striding together, lighting mini-flamethrowers and making noise. When music flared up, the masses sprung into life, jumping up and down and trying to intimidate people on the pavement.
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Anyone wanting character ideas for a future
Hollywood horror film should come here |
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| Lots of crosses in the parade |
We didn’t stay for the entire parade but what we saw was fascinating (and in the case of the fish, slightly disturbing). We had planned to see the ‘gates of hell’. We hadn’t planned to see so many living depictions of hell. Either way, it made for a fun, slightly freaky Friday in Nicaragua.
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| It's probably due an eruption... |
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| Scaring the demons away, Nicaragua style |
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| The emotions of Agüizotes |
Love you all,
Matt
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