Edi blurted out again, with an expression hard to decipher. Now, the fiesta was never for only a day. There were at times the celebration would last for weeks. As a result, not only were work delayed, the money obtained from hard work usually fell prey to the charms of the dice. There were no savings, said Edi, disgruntled. He looked on anxiously. I asked the waiter to pour us more beer.
Edi drank the beer, cooled by the lowering temperature of the night. He explained that the fiesta in his village had never been like this. It used to be celebrated with customs and rituals — for weddings, village events and the like. Even for deaths, a host would usually only invite a mask dancer, never a sexy karaoke dancer like nowadays. It used to be that the sense of community gatherings would be observed and guarded well.