fundraiser night

St Johns Festival or San Juan Ara is big in Paraguay and there are certain traditional games always played. We did a fundraiser to increase the funds that the womens group has by celebrating San Juan Ara. Ara in Guarani means time or sky. We covered entradas or entry tickets and with the tickets did a raffle for a huge chipa (traditional cheesy cornbread) which my neighbor mom called a tractor wheel it was so huge! They also sold 40 chipa inside the community and got a good profit from that.
The first important element of San Juan partys are the Kamba, or dressed up ghostlike backfield spooky characters kind of like halloween. This year the Kamba were quite clever and dressed up as Laura, Matt (the last volunteer) and other local community members. Its a way to make silly comments on people without them knowing who is inside the costume. I turned out to be a very large man and a short skirt and they said that my purpose in the community was to sell soap and that I dont know how to dance. Matt was called a crazy beekeeper.
Here are some photos of the Kamba
On the side is Kamba Matt in shrubs and I in a skirt dancing
Then theres the game of run and get a twig through a small ring

Then they set things on fire, footballs, hay, fake people dollies

Then theres the game of find the hidden Beer in the ground

then theres the slippery log to climb, covered in pig fat and soap. Its got chipa, candy and sugar cane whisky on top, worth ruining your clothes for apparently.
Kamba Laura in her short skirt proved the best at climbing the pole and getting everything down.
Then one of the other activities is heraokai or nameburn game. If you dont pay 1mil when called a doll will burn in your name. We loaded it with small explosives. Everyone practiced how to say Degrush especially for this game. Its usually a blast.
It was a fun night and got us some more funds to better pay our brick layer and any small thing for the project to turn out well.