Children's Birthday Parties

I wrote this in August, when Sammy was invited to about 8 birthday parties in 3 weeks! (We didn’t go to them all.) However, I didn’t take any photos. The photos that accompany the text were taken at the 6^th birthday party of Felipe, our language teacher’s son.

Felipe's party was held in his aunty's garden.

How long does a birthday party for a 4 year old last?

The answer is, often 4-5 hours! Yesterday, Sammy and I went to the party of his friend, Victor (or, with Sammy’s fairly good Spanish pronounciation ‘big-dog’!). We have been to a couple of parties before but normally we leave before the end. This time we decided we’d stay.

The party was due to start at 4pm, but we’ve learned that it’s best to arrive at least an hour late because most other people arrive 1-2 hours late. The latest arrival yesterday was 7pm, I think. It was held at Victor’s home, about 20-30 minutes walk from here. Sometimes people hire an area in one of the restaurants as there are several round here that have small ball pools, slides and things to climb on. Not quite what you see in the UK, but more than I expected to see here.

There were about 30 children present, plus the same number of adults. Some were from Sammy and Victor’s class, but others we didn’t know. Some children came with their mums or dads, others with the family ‘empleada’ (housekeeper who sometimes also helps with the children) or nanny (mostly girls in their late teens/early twenties).

Fortunately Victor’s family have a large living-dining room but it was still a squash. It is a typical room in terms of how the better-off Peruvians here decorate. The floor was tiled (no rug or carpet), there were various religious pictures/paintings on the wall in elaborate gold or wooden frames, the light fittings were mini chandeliers, there was a glass case containing lots of glasses and various trinkets, and a vase of paper flowers in the corner. Sofas and chairs were pushed back against the wall for all the adults to sit down.

The first hour we were there not a whole lot happened. There was music for the kids to dance to and crisps, biscuits and jellies handed round.

Traditional food at a birthday party - crisps,popcorn, jellies, coca cola. Children don't sit down to eat at a set time - the food is just handed round throughout the party.

At 6pm the clown arrived. Most parents hire a clown to amuse the children at parties.

Felipe, Sammy and the clown.

He dressed up some of the kids as clowns and then got all the kids dancing to compete for prizes. Unfortunately Sammy is scared of clowns! This makes parties a bit difficult! However, he seems to be gradually overcoming his fear and joined in with the dancing having stuck to my side for the first half an hour! There then followed magic tricks, which Sammy, and all the children loved. Some involved rather too much fire for a lounge I thought! The kids’ favourite tricks seemed to be the one involving a live white dove – poor thing!

After this came the cake ‘ceremony’. Little Victor, immaculately dressed in a black suit, shirt, tie and the shiniest black shoes I’ve ever seen, stood on a chair behind the huge cake, with his mum, dad and sister. (Birthday cakes here are normally huge, professionally-made and beautifully decorated with coloured icing.) We sang Happy Birthday in English first, quite slowly, and then the Spanish version a lot faster (this seems to be the way it’s always done). Victor was then supposed to put his face in the cake and take a bite (adults usually get their faces pushed in) but he didn’t want to so he just stuck his finger in and licked it! (Sammy then thought he might do the same but fortunately the cake was taken off to be cut before he got the chance to try!)

Felipe was brave enough to take a bite of the cake.

Next came the puppet show. The clown had brought a portable puppet theatre which just about fitted in the corner of the lounge. It was not quite what I was expecting. In the upper part of the theatre appeared various animals and odd-looking monsters, one of whom knocked another’s head off. There was also a bottom section with separate curtains where we had two puppet ‘discos’ with flashing lights and loud music. One involved a dancing man (a puppet on strings) and the other involved a skeleton (again on strings), smoke, a tomb and a luminous skull and rather scary music. This seemed to frighten some of the children! Sammy wondered where the ‘proper’ puppets were! He still seemed to enjoy most of it though, minus the dancing skeleton.

After this it was time for the ‘pinata’, an essential part of every kids party here. For some reason at boy’s parties it always seems to be decorated with ‘Power Rangers’. The invitations, cake and party boxes for the kids to take home are normally ‘Power Rangers’ ones too. I think perhaps there’s not much choice here in the shops! (We’re going to a little girl’s party on Sunday and I think, judging by the invitation, everything will be ‘Winnie the Pooh’.) The ‘pinata’ involves the girls and boys getting into separate lines and taking it in turns to hit the ‘pinata’ with a big stick. When it breaks, there is a massive bundle as all the children grab the sweets and little presents that have fallen out. It’s quite rough!

The 'pinata' at Felipe's party.

After this the children ate birthday cake and the adults were given sausage and chips. It is normal here for the adults to be given hot food at the end of the party and once eaten, this seems to be the signal that it’s time to leave.