Celebrating everything...and then some.

This past Sunday we celebrated the Dia de San Miguel Arcangel, who is the patron saint of San Miguel de Allende. There have been and still are events every day commemorating him.



There were several parades featuring festive paper stars, traditional dances by local indigenous groups (Otomi, Chichimeca) and an hour-long fireworks show in the jardin both Saturday and Sunday.



Celebrations go all out. It's the first time in my life that I've attended a parade and the procession passes by two times(!) with music, dancing, cheering and the lighting of rockets that explode in the air and sound like a gunshot. The rockets went off throughout Friday morning until 4:30. I just groaned, rolled over and fell back asleep.



Also in celebration of San Miguel Arcangel, there have been at least five bull fights. I went with one of the volunteers, and after killing four bulls per ritual (spearing, pricking with tissue paper-covered spikes, stabbing with a saber and finally, severing the spinal cord at the neck with a dagger), they made an open call for members of the audience to enter the arena to play a 'game' wherein a bull is released and participants try to lure it through goal posts to win, whilst avoiding being impaled by the charging bull's horns. It was just incredible and so dangerous.

In addition, there has been a fair going on for the past three weeks that will continue for the next week with all kinds of amusement rides, fried foods and cotton candy, and nightly live concerts on two large stages. Since it's sponsored by the government (the town's President), admission is 15 pesos and you can go on as many rides as you want at no additional cost.

In addition, the town is celebrating San Francisco de Asisi (St. Francis of Assisi), with large parties to honor him. The past two nights I've listened to live concerts in the jardin that go on until 3AM interspersed with shouts and cries of the enthused crowd. And yesterday there was a parade to finally conclude the celebrations of San Miguel Arcangel. How is it possible to celebrate so much all the time?

I have realized that culturally it is so much different here than what I'm used to. Japanese culture is very inward, reflective, meditative and self-contained. Here in Mexico, everything is alegre and about spending quality time together, festivals, folklore, music and noise. It's great, but I just think I've reached my saturation point, especially on the parades. There have been at least five in the past three weeks! I just stopped going out to see them.

The next big celebration will not be until early November, which is All Saints' Day and the Day of the Dead. Oh, and also Halloween. I'm reminded that I'm still in North America when I go to the American-owned superstores and see stands full of cheap masks, gaudy pumpkin decorations and even Christmas ornaments.

Life is still good, though. Volunteers are coming and going, the weather is sunny often enough for me to get my laundry done and I have a bag full of fun-sized Twix and Snickers bars in my room, courtesy of my parents.

Until next time!