Día de la Samaritana - A taste

Yesterday, the fourth Friday of Lent, was Día de la Samaritana, Good Samaritan's Day and this city was once again, a crowded, joyous and vibrant place.  It really blows my mind how open and giving people can be.  The happiness and warmth were contagious.

A description from El Imparcial

De acuerdo a la religión católica, esta celebración se basa en paisaje bíblico descrito por Juan, cuando una mujer ofreció agua a Jesús en el pozo de Jacob en la ciudad de Sicar o Siquem.

Era alrededor del mediodía, Jesús, cansado del camino, estaba sentado junto al manantial cuando llega una mujer y le pide de beber agua del pozo, por ello, según la fe cristiana, desde finales del siglo XIX cada Cuarto Viernes de Cuaresma esta tradición inicia justo al mediodía.

According to the Catholic religion, this celebration is based on biblical landscape described by John, when a woman offered water to Jesus at Jacob's well in Sychar city or Shechem.

It was around noon, Jesus, tired of the road, was sitting next to the spring when a woman arrives and asks him drink water from the well, therefore, according to the Christian faith, from the end of the 19th century every fourth Friday of lent this tradition starts at noon.

Throughout the city and in all the surrounding villages, people set up areas and offered free waters or drinks.  The traditional drinks are horchata, a rice based drink.  This one had rose petals, nuts and melon added.

Chilacayote is a favorite of many people and is the name of both the drink and the squash from which it is made.

I love how this shot looks like galaxies and stars.

Pulling back a bit.

The real thing.

Just frontin'

(h/t spixl)

The best drink of the day was one made from sandia, watermelon, that we got on a side street.  It was like drinking the sweetest tasteiest watermelon ever!  Mmmmm... so good on a hot day.

It was a full day with much more happening, like the beauty/popularity contest in Llano, and I will post about it a bit later.