León Vive!

Spent the weekend in Leon, the old colonial capital of Nicaragua, and which remains its revolutionary hotspot, as this is where Dictator Samoza was shot and mortally wounded in 1956. I am not a specialist of political disorder in Central America, so rather focus on the beauty of the cathedral – a UNESCO world heritage site – the legend says this cathedral was meant to be built in Lima, Peru – but that the construction plans were intercepted, and instead the location of choice became Leon. It is indeed a very beautiful cathedral, the most imposing in the country and perfectly maintained on the inside, however it does not rival the refinement and details of European cathedrals. Interesting fact is that this cathedral has survived the numerous earthquakes which shake the country regularly, as indeed it was built “earthquake-resistant”.

The city I must say, was very charming and very accommodating, felt immediately comfortable in its side-streets and churches. The hostel we stayed at “Via Via” is commendable, as it gained some brownie points with me – with its internal courtyard sprinkled with palm trees and small tables where you can enjoy your breakfast in the morning rays of the sun, shadowed by hand-painted murals and without forgetting the ultimate backpackers heaven: hanging hammocks where we could catch up on some reading – so relaxing …

We were also very lucky to be there on the weekend of the la griteria – the birthplace of this event is actually Leon – in honor of the Purisima concepcion de Maria, the immaculate conception. The streets were full of people, national music was being played, and the traditional human sized puppets marched through the streets – as the loudspeakers boomed the chants of the mass which ended on the strike of 6 PM as the pastor called: "¿Quien causa tanta alegría?" and the people responded "¡La Concepción de María!" and the fireworks exploded! (Note: fireworks are not yet monitored by governmental orders; indeed, you find random fireworks exploding in the nights from someone’s gardens). The concept in itself is similar to that of Halloween, people are meant to sing at the doors of houses and the house owners provide the people with sweets “la gorra” – it was a bit surprising to see adults participating in this event – definitely not oriented towards the kids – very aggressive.

And the typical end to a Nica celebration – Flor de caña y coca – Viva Maria! Viva Leon!