03.04.2011

Today is a very important day for the people of Argentina, particularly in Mendoza.  Today is “la fiesta de La Vendimia,” which is essentially a huge party celebrating Mendocino wine.  It is more of a week-long/two-week long party in which thousands of Mendocinos and tourists get together to celebrate the cultivation of the great and varied wine within the province of Mendoza.  However, there is a story behind La Vendimia.

Back in the “old days,” harvest time was the most important time of the year.  Particularly here in Mendoza, as most of its economy and lifestyle depended so much on the harvest.  Sadly, just one hail storm could destroy an entire year’s work, so people often anticipated the day of harvesting with great anxiousness and most of the time ended up relieved that the crop finally arrived.  The people would celebrate with music and dance, and amongst the people involved with the harvesting, they selected a young girl to be crowned “the Harvest Queen,” to represent beauty, optimism, and thanksgiving of the harvest.  It was somewhat informal, yet still significant.

This informal celebration turned into what we have now, La Vendimia!  The festival involves a parade, this evening, throughout the entire city.  Floats pass by with the young ladies selected within each department to be ultimately selected as a departmental queen to compete within the national pageant of La Vendimia. This ultimate selection occurs tonight, in which a panel of judges select the ambassador of Mendoza, the new queen of La Vendimia.   People all around the world are here for the event, crowd the streets, the restaurants, the bodegas, the hotels, and everyone waits to see who will be chosen as the queen of the grapes.  It is quite funny because, no matter if you actually enjoy the event or not, everyone watches it.  It is kind of like the Thanksgiving Day parade for us, it doesn’t matter if you actually go to New York City to physically see it, everyone has it on the television. 

At about 1:00 or 2:00 am tomorrow morning, we will ultimately know who has been selected as the Harvest Queen.  Many people, just like back in the US, are very proud of their department (somewhat like our districts or towns, even.  It is just that here, everything is more spread out.)  so when the queen of La Vendimia is chosen, it is more like the department has “won,” and that is a big deal.  After she has been chosen, everyone begins on their long-weekend celebration—wine, dancing, asado, family, friends, mountains, and siesta.  Yes!

k bye.