Baby Party

There is a tradition in Cape Verde of celebrating a baby's birth 7 days after he or she is born. My student Simon had a baby last Monday, so on Sunday night we had a party. This party is more for the parents (well, the father) to celebrate with friends. We had a grill going with grilled fish, then at midnight, we ate arroz con tudo (rice with everything). Following the traditional midnight meal, we all gathered around the child and sang traditional songs to her. One friend played the guitar while we all sang and the baby was held up for everyone to see. It was beautiful. This is actually my first 7th day party! I have pictures, which you can see here. The party consisted of lots of dancing and a lot of congratulating! The baby is adorable. She still isn't named, so we're all waiting for the final decision to be made on that!