So the festivities are all done here in Uruguay.  And these people thoroughly enjoy their chance to let loose – specifically letting loose of their fireworks. 

If I were magically transported to Uruguay on Christmas Eve without knowing where I had been placed, had no sense of time of the year, and the people around me were speaking American English, I would believe that I was at a July 4th party somewhere in the States. 

At 12 midnight the fireworks are scheduled to be lit in celebration, but Uruguayans don’t like to wait (when it comes to firing off lights and sounds).  For multiple hours before the turn of date, bottle rockets and piercingly loud cracks can be heard.  An occasional burst of flashes in the sky is seen.  Then at midnight the whole sky lights up.  I was waiting for about nine fires to start up, as these industrial fireworks are not regulated by anyone and a few people thought it a great idea to fire off into combustible trees.

Well, I made it through the bombings of the Christmas festivities…next up: New Years at Mercado del Puerto in Montevideo.