My Journey Round The World

So I spent the New Year Eve 2009 at the other end of the planet in a middle of nowhere only with strangers… Quite different than my last 5 years all around Europe (2004 – Paris, 2005 – Madrid, 2006 – Budapest, 2007 – Kracov, 2008 – Nurenberg) with my Rostock friends… It was different but great! Light was supposed to be switch off at 10pm but regarding the circumstamces, we could have it nearly up to 2am!
Start was a bit slow and our guide – Ramiro – told us that nothing was plan. They were more than 7 different groups with people coming from Argentina, Bolivia, Korea, England, Germany, Spain, France – only me I think! ;) - Canada and I guess I’m missing some! There was a Bolivian bout-en-train who entertain a long part of the evening with different games. We had lot of fun seeing the English singing and dancing while having a forfeit Then the Argentine – who had a guitare – start singing some of the Beatles songs helps by the English group. This was so much fun! At midnight we all huged & kissed and went outside as some people brought fireworks. Just in front of the Salar with a full moon it was just wonderful!

I also learned Bolivian tradition for the New Year with Juana who kindly share everything with us!
- Ariane & Isabelle you will love that! –
So, just before midnight, you settle the table with some food and drinks: apple, grapes, biscuits, sweets, coca leaf, beer… so that nothing misses next year. Everything as a signification:

• Fruits are for prosperity,
• Biscuits-cakes: wishing to have enough bread during the year
• Sweet: to have sweetness and happiness…

You also settle candles – here of different colors, I love that! – that you have to light at midnight and wait until it burn nearly up to the end where you can just blow them out and read the meaning:

• orange = money and work
• green = hope
• yellow = money
• red = love
• white = health / peace
• purple = protection

Here red and green expand themselve as we can spread love and hope all the time… Orange, yellow, white and purple keep pretty straight as we can be healthy or have enough money, work or protection for the time beeing but always need to pay attention to it as it goes and come back easily… Hope you follow everything!

You also prepare 12 pieces of grapes, 1 for each month, and at midnight you eat them 1 by 1 and make a wish for each month I went out under the full moon and did so…

After all that and while waiting for the candles to burn – you cannot go to sleep before! - you eat the food and drink but don’t forget to put 2 or 3 drops on the floor for the Pachamama – La Madre Tierra!