fiesta – Ex-pats in Mexico

Summer is coming to an end here in the Lake Chapala area, and that means fiestas. It started Saturday, Sept. 14, with Regata de Globos. This is a celebration unique to Ajijic that dates to the 1960s. You can read all about it by clicking the link.

Regata de Globos is held at the soccer field down the hill from our house. Leslie and I got there a little after 3 p.m. and joined other members of CASA — Culinary Arts Society of Ajijic — at the organization’s tent with lots of snacks plus beer and wine. CASA sponsored one of the globos, hiring a group of locals to make it and launch it. Lots of businesses and organizations do that. Here’s a two-minute video of the launch:

Not all the globos soared into the sky, though. Several ended like this one:

Launches went on into the night. We left the field about 6 p.m., but we could see some of them from our patio — too far away to take a photo, though. Each globo has a small flame at the bottom that keeps the inside air hot and keeps the globo aloft. After dark, you can see the flame, even from a distance. We watched one of them sail east toward Chapala, and it looked like an alien spacecraft!

*A team works on their globo, patching small holes and tears in the paper so it will stay aloft.*

The bigger celebration, though, was Monday, Sept.16: Mexican Independence Day — also known as Diez y seis de Septiembre. There were parades in Ajijic and other Lakeside villages. Diez y seis is always preceded by the Grito de Dolores, a call to arms by Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla. The Grito began the Mexican War of Independence in 1810. Hidalgo, a Catholic priest, is considered the father of Mexican independence. Unlike George Washington, though, Hidalgo was martyred early in the struggle for freedom from Spain. Every year on Sept. 15, the Mexican president re-creates the Grito and rings the same bell Father Hidalgo rang. Governors and mayors around the nation do the same.

Next up are the Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, celebration, followed by several other fiestas. In Ajijic, the most important is Fiesta de San Andrés near the end of November. Saint Andrew is Ajijic’s patron saint.

So it’s party time from now until early January! We’ll keep you posted.

Hasta luego!

There’s no steering on a globo, so sometimes they crash into inanimate objects. This one slammed right into an antenna on top of Plaza Bugambillias (center), which is just west of the soccer field. The globo was wiped out, the antenna was undamaged.

And here’s one more video:

This first month in our new home has been fraught with illness and the pains of settling in. But Leslie and I have kicked our colds and are both healthy now. We’ve accomplished our biggest goal — getting the paperwork started for our permanent resident cards. Just two more steps to go. We hope to have our cards before Christmas.

*Javier from Chiapas had some beautiful rugs for sale. Next year, for sure!*

This is a busy time in Ajijic — it’s party central until the end of the year. For example, recently we went to the annual Feria Maestros del Arte in nearby Chapala. It’s more than just an art show, it’s a celebration of more than 80 highly talented Mexican artists in a variety of fields: pottery, textiles, baskets, jewelry, etc. It’s a way for artisans to sell their work, but it also raises awareness about the nature of Mexican folk art. The artists use local materials in their art, using techniques that have been handed down through many generations. The Feria is about saving this art and helping the artisans.

Following Día de los Muertos is Día de Revolucion on Nov. 20. This celebrates the 1910 revolution that toppled Army general Porfirio Diaz and brought democracy to Mexico. We missed the parade. On Nov. 21, a fiesta began in honor of St. Andrew the Apostle, the city’s patron saint. We heard some of the late-night partying and wandered through a bazaar set up on the malecon (boardwalk). Then I happened upon some locals in the main square one afternoon where a band was playing (fairly well) and a guy was singing (pretty badly). There were several caballeros (people on horseback) watching. One man’s white horse was dancing to the music, but no humans were.

The San Andres Fiesta lasts until the end of the month. Every day there are bands playing, church bells ringing and cohetes (bottle rockets) going off at all hours to announce masses being held in local churches. There are several parades, too. We can hear band music at 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., as well as during the day. Streets around the main square are blocked by carnival rides and food stands. One of our new friends here told us that when November ends, then the locals start celebrating Christmas. These are apparently two very noisy months!

Leslie and I are trying to establish some routines in our new home. She’s already involved in the book group that meets monthly at St. Andrew’s Anglican Church, and I plan to attend the monthly men’s group lunch later this week. We’re looking forward to a pot-luck dinner and Christmas carol singing event on Dec. 7. We had dinner with new friends Carol and David, and they invited us to join an already big group at their home for Thanksgiving dinner. There were nine in all, and the food was fantastic.

We’ve also signed up for the “Introduction to Lakeside” class offered by The Lake Chapala Society on Dec. 13. We attended the class last year when we were here for six weeks, but going through it again — now that we’re full-fledged LCS members — will get us updated on banking, health care, housing, traffic and other important topics.

*Sunrise on Lake Chapala, taken during a morning jog.*

Oh, and while the Chicago area endures its first big snowstorm of the season, Leslie and I enjoyed a glass of wine and some charcuterie on our patio yesterday while we watched the sunset wearing T-shirts. It was about 75° F. It’s not perfect, though. A few weeks ago the daytime highs were around 68° and unusually windy. The forecast for the coming week calls for some rain and a couple of days in the mid-60s. It’s in the low-50s around sunrise when I go out for my daily jog on the malecon, so I just toss on a sweatshirt and I’m fine.

More to come. We’re just getting started!

Hasta luego!

*Ernesto from Zacatecas did some amazing work with colored pencils. We thought of our good friend Linda, who works in the same medium.*

*Pottery is a common form of Mexican art. Leslie admired this artisan’s work in green glaze.*

Tag: fiesta

Fiesta season begins with eyes to the skies

Now we hear the bottle rockets!