El Maniél:
Above Los Blancos is a high plateau at 2,750 feet. The area is perfect for coffee and there are five large plantations which take up the majority of land. The people here shown at Mass live on those coffee farms.
First Holy Communion:
The ten children are celebrating their first Confession and First Holy Communion. Here are their names: Akilina, Anita, Nadeya, Alisia, Kerben, Yrde, Enso, Yancales, Teice, Cristela, and Jeremis. Their lives contain extraordinary elements.
No TV:
Imagine a group of children who by the time they reach 16 years of age have seldom watched television. Their experience of life does not include commercials, violent movies, or incesant messages that proclaim "You need to be entertained by us". At night they see one another by candle light and if they listen to anything other than human voices and the sounds of frogs and birds, it is the occasional radio program in the homes of people who can afford batteries.
Dancing at the offertory:
Imagine further that these children have no inhibitions about dancing at the offertory of a Mass; that they have no expectations of gifts or presents to mark the occasion of their First Holy Communion; that they will be looking forward to dancing into the little parish school building, carrying the offerings of yame, yautia, platanos (all are vegetables) and oranges... rather than having their pictures taken by lots of relatives.
Such is life:
By modern standards, such a life for children would be considered a severely deprived existence, and yet the children reflect happiness and contentment with life. Perhaps they come into our awareness to challenge us when we fall back upon acquired tastes, mistaking them for essential goods...when in fact they simply represent privileges or luxuries.
The dance:
To witness children dancing to the sound of drums and strong voices within the context of the sacred is a mind-expanding experience. We of European descent tend to isolate dancing from the holy... as if they belong in separate worlds. We don't realize our bias against the dance, even when we read that King David danced before the Ark of the Covenant. These children have a different image of God. Their God loves dance and invites them to celebrate His love with rhythm, music and movement. And their dance is totally natural! It is not the result of a project or a liturgy plan; or a liturgy convention where the "experts" seek to instruct the un-initiated into the finer points of "advanced" worship.
