One of the most unique Nicaraguan traditions is “La Gritería,” held the night of the 7th of December, the eve of the Day of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary. December 8th is also a national holiday, and many workers have the day off. This tradition emerged from the Catholic faith to joyfully celebrate the Virgin Mary. The celebration began in the city of León, and even today León boasts one of the largest Gritería nights in the country.
My Experience
I first attended la Gritería during the first year that I lived on the outskirts of Managua. A family that I was friends with invited me to "purísimear" with them, and we drove into Managua in a packed car with all the kids in the home to check out the best spots in the city. I had absolutely no knowledge of the purísima songs - or frankly, any idea of what was happening at all - and I spent most of the night awkwardly trying to hide behind my friends (who, unfortunately, are all shorter than I am) as we stood in front of the altars.
I do remember that I committed a grave Purísima error. At one of the houses, I was handed a nacatamal (nice!). We continued singing, or in my case mouthing "watermelon" and hoping that made me look like I knew some of the words, and a few minutes later, a girl at the house tried to hand me another nacatamal. I replied, "No, no, I already got one," while my friends silently tore their hair out next to me. Afterwards, they scolded me thoroughly and the lesson was clear - you NEVER turn down a nacatamal! I also noticed afterwards that everyone except me had received little bags of candy, so I had received, almost twice, a better gift than all of them.
The following several years, I began to help out at the altar that my sister in law organized at her house in the center of Managua. This is where I really learned the ins and outs of a purísima and how it all works behind the scenes.
How it Works
People from the United States sometimes call La Gritería “Catholic Halloween,” because of its resemblance to trick-or-treating (although the histories of each tradition are quite different!). Traditionally, devoted Catholics create altars to the Virgin Mary inside or just outside their homes. On the night of the 7th, around dusk, people begin to visit the altars on foot and sing songs dedicated to the Virgin Mary. In turn, the owners of the altar hand out gifts to the visitors.
The Gritería is often called “La Purísima,” but really the two celebrations are different - while La Purísima is celebrated throughout December, while la Gritería is just one night. If someone states that they are hosting a purísima, it’s common to ask if it’s “gritada” or “rezada”. If the former, that means their altar will be open to the public to visit on December 7th. If “rezada,” the purísima will be held privately, likely on a different day in December, for a group of invitees who will sing and pray to the Virgin Mary together.
Throughout the night, you will hear people shouting, ¿Quién causa tanta alegría? (Who causes so much joy?) The shouted response is, ¡La concepción de María! (Mary's conception).
While many, many participants in la Gritería are Catholic, there are also many non-Catholics who go out to "Purísimear" and receive the gifts at each altar. For children who come from the poorest families, la Gritería is an incredible opportunity to receive toys and special foods that they may rarely or never receive otherwise.
Songs
When people visit the altars, they will sing songs to the image of the Virgin Mary. Some of the most famous songs are “Por eso el cristianismo” and “Tu gloria, tu gloria” (probably the easiest to pick up). Your average Gritería-goer may only know a few songs, but there are many.
Here is one of the songs on YouTube:
Polvora and More
The atmosphere on the evening of the Gritería is filled with excitement and also quite loud, thanks to hundreds of fireworks being set off throughout the night.
There is very little regulation on personal use of fireworks in Nicaragua. In late November, stands begin popping up selling fireworks for the December season. Keep a close eye on children - burns are a real risk with so many fireworks on the streets.
Throughout the evening of December 7th, the pops and crackles of fireworks serve as a backdrop for the people walking the streets to honor the Virgin at each altar.
Gifts
After singing songs, the owner of the altar hands out gifts to each of the visitors.
The items given at each altar vary nowadays, but traditionally, singers at the altars received sweets (like cajeta de leche and leche burra), wooden toys and baskets, a corn-based drink called chicha, sweet limes, and sugarcane. Nacatamales and brooms are also traditional and still prized purísima gifts.
Today, many no longer appreciate the traditional gifts and instead scope out the houses handing out products from the canasta básica (rice, beans, oil, sugar, etc.) or other household items, like tupperware and toiletries. Children receive a wide range of candies and toys, which are now more often plastic and packaged instead of wooden, handmade and handpainted.
Some households choose to focus on one product - stock up on nacatamales for adults and grab bags bags of candy for the kids, for example - while others amass a huge variety. The second strategy can make handing out the gifts contentious; anyone who has ever served as “repartidor” knows there are always those people who ask why they got a bag of rice instead of a broom, or request an extra toy for a kid who supposedly stayed home.
Handing out the gifts is a stressful job and can last for hours. Somehow, I was often nominated for the repartidora role at my sister in law’s altar, and I remember sweating fiercely as I tried to count the number of singers from inside the house, and neither duplicate nor skip anyone while giving the gifts. My sister in law would also leave each group of singers until they had sung at least three songs (with feeling!), which made it hard for those who only knew one or two. Always awkward when the group starts singing "Tu Gloría, Tu Gloría" for the second time...
Another classic role is the "keeper of the line." My now-husband often got assigned to this job, and he would have to corral all of the people and try to prevent cutting. If you've ever waited in line in Nicaragua, you will know that this is not an easy task! Since my sister in law gave out pretty good stuff, like nacatamales, brooms, and rice & beans, as well as some pretty nice toys for the kids, the line was always enormous and would often stretch all the way down the block. She often ran out of things in less than two hours.
What to Bring
If you’re ready to brave the Gritería out in the streets, here’s what to bring:
A backpack or bag with a zip top to carry things
Comfortable walking shoes
A way to carry your baby/small child, like a stroller or carrier
A small booklet with the Purísima song lyrics (helpful if you're new to this!)
A water bottle
Do NOT bring valuables and strongly consider leaving your smartphone at home - pickpocketing is a risk with such large crowds
Conclusion
La Gritería is truly a one of a kind Nicaraguan tradition. I am always amazed by the generosity of all of the people who open their homes as an act of faith and spend quite significant amounts of money to share the alegría with complete strangers.
¿Quién causa tanta alegría? ¡La concepción de María!
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