Christmas in Peru

Usually on Christmas Eve we work and prepare for the following day, Christmas. Some families may open one present, others may save all of the presents for Christmas Day. On Christmas Day we gather as a family and have dinner, open the remaining presents, and maybe watch a movie together. This is the type of Christmas I'm used to.

Christmas in Peru is different. Quite different. 

The previous day, I was told that Christmas dinner is usually eaten on Christmas Eve. On Christmas Eve I woke up late (12pm-ish) expecting to save my hunger for Christmas dinner with my friend Bravo and his family. I called him asking what time dinner would start. His response, "late." I decided to wait, remembering that Thanksgiving dinner with his family was big and started around 8-9pm. 

I gamed a bit, took a shower, and prepared myself for dinner. A few hours pass and I again call Bravo asking what time I should come for dinner because I'm getting hungry. His response, "you may want to get something to eat now." Out I go onto the streets and stop by the nearest restaurant to get some food. It's Peruvian-Chinese food (Chifa). 

A few more hours pass as I'm gaming and waiting for a phone call to tell me that I can start working my way over.

Nothing. 

It's about 7:45pm when I contact Bravo again. "So....what time should I come over?" He says, "Yea, well we don't eat until 12, so maybe right before then." 

"Wait, what?" - me.

(Damn you Bravo! Why didn't you just say so in the beginning?!)

Yup, that's right. Apparently in Peru they wait until 12am midnight on Christmas Eve to have dinner with the family and bring in Christmas Day. Slightly before 12am fireworks started going off EVERYWHERE. At, 12am the sky was completely lit up as fireworks covered the sky in every direction. The fireworks kept going strong for about a half hour. After that, they died down (but were never complete gone). 

Although I have no clue how there could be more fireworks than what I saw on Christmas, I'm told that on New Years Eve it's the same, but more and for longer.

All in all, I had a great Christmas and hope you all did too. :)