Post by scumbuster on Dec 24, 2019 12:34:38 GMT -5
Celebrating Christmas Properly Just a Dream for Most Venezuelans
CARACAS – With Christmas fast approaching, Jose Gregorio Machado does not know if he will be able to serve the traditional holiday meal and give gifts to his three children and wife, who live with him in a makeshift dwelling in the Venezuelan capital.
“Last year was fabulous, the table was loaded with everything, thank God, there was nothing missing,” the 29-year-old laborer told EFE.
Things, however, are much different in 2019, Machado said.
“We’ll see about this year ... our dwelling burned down and now I’m trying to resolve things,” the resident of far eastern Caracas said, adding that it would be “too sad” to forego enjoying the traditional dinners and gift giving at Christmas and New Year’s.
Despite the many challenges they face, Machado and his family are almost privileged in some ways because the children attend school regularly and there is nearly always food on the dinner table.
As with his dwelling, Machado improvised and launched a car washing business that he said earns him about $10 on a good day.
Machado, nevertheless, is one of the more than 7 million Venezuelans who, according to United Nations figures, require immediate humanitarian assistance.
These are the people who have been hurt the most by the collapse of Venezuela’s economy and who face the biggest challenges in trying to celebrate the year-end holidays.
In the upscale Caracas district of Chacao, located several kilometers from where Machado lives, businesswoman Marly Arias is leaving a supermarket with a few items but no pork roast, the traditional dish prepared across Venezuela during the holidays.
“We try to do what we can because the household budget is not enough, the expectations are pretty low,” Arias told EFE.
The businesswoman said that by stretching her budget and “with many sacrifices,” she would be able to prepare some of the traditional dishes eaten in this South American country on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.
The 35-year-old Arias said that although she lived in an area that is home to middle-class and wealthy families, she did not plan to “spend anything” on decorations or painting the house, another year-end tradition.
Gifts, a luxury that is out of reach for almost everyone amid the economic crisis, are also out of the question this year, Arias said, adding that she was glad her children were older and no longer expected presents from Santa Claus or the Three Kings.
“Within the family, we’re going to exchange rice, just food,” Arias said, smiling.
Leaning on a counter, John Avila stares at the door of the paint store he runs, awaiting the arrival of the customers who in the past would purchase thousands of gallons of paint in mid-December and now go without refreshing the appearance of their homes.
“Sales are very slow, they have fallen a lot. It’s scary,” said the 40-year-old Avila, who manages a paint store in Chacao.
Giving one’s home a fresh coat of paint was one of the most popular Christmas traditions across Venezuela.
Now, though, Venezuelans spend almost all of their money on food and medicines.
At one of the largest outdoor markets in Caracas, landscaper Douglas Torrealba sells local pine trees for $5 to people looking for an affordable Christmas tree.
“They’re selling,” the 35-year-old Torrealba said, smiling.
For those who do not have $5 to spare for a Christmas tree, nurse Belkis Guzman, a neighbor of Machado’s, said recycling was the way to go.
The 50-year-old Guzman fashioned a snowman from plastic cups and made a Christmas tree out of cardboard.
“This is the cheapest thing we can do. My family really loves Christmas,” said Guzman, a mother and grandmother, adding that her three children emigrated to escape the economic crisis and Christmas Eve would be “a normal day” in her household.
Even the holiday lights strung along some streets in the capital are controversial this year, with many Venezuelans saying that they oppose putting up the decorations at a time when many regions are dealing with power outages.
Opposition Congressman Angel Alvarado said recently that the Nicolas Maduro’s administration wanted to give people a “feeling of normality” amid the economic meltdown.
www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2486940&CategoryId=10717
CARACAS – With Christmas fast approaching, Jose Gregorio Machado does not know if he will be able to serve the traditional holiday meal and give gifts to his three children and wife, who live with him in a makeshift dwelling in the Venezuelan capital.
“Last year was fabulous, the table was loaded with everything, thank God, there was nothing missing,” the 29-year-old laborer told EFE.
Things, however, are much different in 2019, Machado said.
“We’ll see about this year ... our dwelling burned down and now I’m trying to resolve things,” the resident of far eastern Caracas said, adding that it would be “too sad” to forego enjoying the traditional dinners and gift giving at Christmas and New Year’s.
Despite the many challenges they face, Machado and his family are almost privileged in some ways because the children attend school regularly and there is nearly always food on the dinner table.
As with his dwelling, Machado improvised and launched a car washing business that he said earns him about $10 on a good day.
Machado, nevertheless, is one of the more than 7 million Venezuelans who, according to United Nations figures, require immediate humanitarian assistance.
These are the people who have been hurt the most by the collapse of Venezuela’s economy and who face the biggest challenges in trying to celebrate the year-end holidays.
In the upscale Caracas district of Chacao, located several kilometers from where Machado lives, businesswoman Marly Arias is leaving a supermarket with a few items but no pork roast, the traditional dish prepared across Venezuela during the holidays.
“We try to do what we can because the household budget is not enough, the expectations are pretty low,” Arias told EFE.
The businesswoman said that by stretching her budget and “with many sacrifices,” she would be able to prepare some of the traditional dishes eaten in this South American country on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.
The 35-year-old Arias said that although she lived in an area that is home to middle-class and wealthy families, she did not plan to “spend anything” on decorations or painting the house, another year-end tradition.
Gifts, a luxury that is out of reach for almost everyone amid the economic crisis, are also out of the question this year, Arias said, adding that she was glad her children were older and no longer expected presents from Santa Claus or the Three Kings.
“Within the family, we’re going to exchange rice, just food,” Arias said, smiling.
Leaning on a counter, John Avila stares at the door of the paint store he runs, awaiting the arrival of the customers who in the past would purchase thousands of gallons of paint in mid-December and now go without refreshing the appearance of their homes.
“Sales are very slow, they have fallen a lot. It’s scary,” said the 40-year-old Avila, who manages a paint store in Chacao.
Giving one’s home a fresh coat of paint was one of the most popular Christmas traditions across Venezuela.
Now, though, Venezuelans spend almost all of their money on food and medicines.
At one of the largest outdoor markets in Caracas, landscaper Douglas Torrealba sells local pine trees for $5 to people looking for an affordable Christmas tree.
“They’re selling,” the 35-year-old Torrealba said, smiling.
For those who do not have $5 to spare for a Christmas tree, nurse Belkis Guzman, a neighbor of Machado’s, said recycling was the way to go.
The 50-year-old Guzman fashioned a snowman from plastic cups and made a Christmas tree out of cardboard.
“This is the cheapest thing we can do. My family really loves Christmas,” said Guzman, a mother and grandmother, adding that her three children emigrated to escape the economic crisis and Christmas Eve would be “a normal day” in her household.
Even the holiday lights strung along some streets in the capital are controversial this year, with many Venezuelans saying that they oppose putting up the decorations at a time when many regions are dealing with power outages.
Opposition Congressman Angel Alvarado said recently that the Nicolas Maduro’s administration wanted to give people a “feeling of normality” amid the economic meltdown.
www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=2486940&CategoryId=10717