Come down to the Copacabana cathedral on Sunday & get your automobile blessed
This picture doesn´t even begin to tell the story of the cha´lla, the blessing of the automobiles, on weekends in front of the cathedral.
First-imagine a hundred vehicles, all crammed together and lined up end to end, spanning about a block and a half. At one end there are enterprising boys with buckets of soap water, offering to clean your car before it gets blessed. Along the sidewalks are stalls with women selling all manner of floral decorations, champagne, fire crackers, and plastic gee-gaws. Every car has a family surrounding it, arguing about where to put the flowers, the gew-gaws, what kind of fire crackers to buy, and whether champagne or beer is more appropriate.
Then there are the priests-with buckets of holy water. They go down the line, flicking holy water on every part of the car, the engine, the mirrors, the old ladies who happen to be standing next to the cars, and all the car owners. A quick prayer is said, and the priest moves on.
Meanwhile, the whole family shakes up some bottles of champagne, throws bags and bags of rose petals, sprays the champagne on every inch of the car that didn´t get covered with holy water, sets off fire crackers, poses for pictures with the dressed up, shiny, soaked, newly blessed car.
Finally, the vehicles somehow manage to leave the incredible gridlock that is the center of town.
Needless to say, I thought the cha´lla was pretty awesome.
