The Engagement Party -- Play-by-Play

Sunday, 12/27/2009

I met everyone at Sylvia's home yesterday as the makeup session was drawing to a close. Call me ignorant, but I don't get it. Try as they might, the makeup artists couldn't hide the natural beauty of the mothers last night.

The party was held at a beautify reception center near their home, starting at about 9:15. When we entered, the hors d'oeuvres were laid out on several tables – probably 10 different selections. As the guests began to arrive, waiters began passing yet additional types of hors d'oeuvres, champagne, liquor, and other drinks. I can honestly state that I have never seen better appetizers. We were introduced to people as they arrived, and folks were uniformly considerate of the possibility that we might not be able to speak Spanish well. The circle of about 150 close family and friends could not have given us a warmer reception. Everyone was eager to wish us well and to meet the novia's (bride) parents.

At about 10:30 or 11:00 we went up to the next floor for dinner in a tastefully decorated dining room. Before any food was served, the families of the novios were called to the front for a ceremony during which an engagement “contract” is stated, and then the mothers break a plate. Two rabbi friends of Leandro spoke and gave a benediction. Pieces of the plate are given to the mothers and to single women in the gathering.

Then the dancing begins! Starting with circle dances, the mood quickly works up to a frenzy. The fathers and the mothers as well as the novios are picked up and tossed about, almost like body surfing. They are surrounded by circles, everyone dancing frenetically, including men and women my age and older, for perhaps 45 minutes. Thirty seconds before someone has a coronary, the music dies down, and people make their way to their seats.

By now it is around midnight, and the salad course is served. People have an opportunity to talk, the volume of the music being lower. At the end of the course, the projection screen lights up, and we see a collage video of the cutest and most nostalgic photos of Bela and Leandro growing up. The place echos with oohs and ahs.

Before long, though, the music comes back at disco-level volume, and people appear to have gained their second wind, for they dance again – non-stop – for the next 45 minutes. So, now it's around 1:30 or so, and the main course is served: Salmon. You may think you have had well-prepared salmon in your life, but this course was indescribably delicious.

At the end of the main course the famous video (see The Engagement Party, Saturday, 12/26/2009 blog entry) was shown to everyone's delight. We laughed until our faces hurt. I hid under the table. Everyone thought the production was great. It was a really cute idea.

The music is back and people pack the dance floor again until the dessert course, at about 3:30 or so. A cake was brought to our table and put in front of Gloria, and several family members came to the table to sing happy birthday in Spanish and then in English. Also during this course, a large cake was brought out and Bela and Leandro were called to the microphone. Each of them said something touching about the engagement, and Leandro toasted all his friends and family who had come to the party.

But dessert was not over. Everyone was ushered to the lower floor, where cocktails had been earlier, and a lavish dessert buffet had been set up. The highlight, I think, was the crepes table, where crepes filled with dulce de leche were being made.

When everyone went back upstairs they were given carnival attire, such as hats, tiaras, boas, and other fanciful items to put on, and dancing continued. Bela and Leandro were given Queen and King hats. By this time, however, people had begun to drift away, bidding their good-nights and felicidades (happiness/congratulations).

We underestimated the stamina of the Argentines. The party broke up as it approached 6:00 AM, after many of the guests had danced just about the entire time. Where do they get the energy??

Gabriel and Sylvia took us back to the apartment where we crashed at about 6:45.

I slept until about 11:00 and Gloria until about 2:00. We skipped breakfast and went directly to lunch, after which we went to Gabi's and Silvia's home to hang out. We sat around for hours talking about the party and just about every other subject for the remainder of the afternoon.

In the meantime, the chicos opened their presents from last night. Almost without exception, people had given them money. Money packs better than a blender for the trip back to the States, anyhow.

Leandro's parents had also gotten them gifts – an entire set of handmade glass judaica items: a seder plate, a challah plate candle-sticks, a mezuzah, etc. These were genuine artistic items.

Finally we had our opportunity to invite the family to dinner. Up till this time, Gabriel would not hear of allowing us to host them for dinner; he finally relented and let us take them out.