It's a fun filled day. Families and neighborhoods parading together. Nothing out of hand or dangerous. Just everyone out photographing the paraders and having fun.
It originally started to honor a couple of saints, the harvesting of the citrus groves which grew in the area and to pray for rain. It always happens around June 14th, the Feast of St. Anthony. This year it was on the 14th though there were spontaneous parades in various colonias as they prepared for the big kahuna parade on Sunday. By the way, the rains came on the 15th - one and a half inch of it!
I heard them in my neighborhood with the dance music they play, making floats, costumes and getting ready for the BIG day. They left here about 10AM on Sunday morning. I had heard them down the hill at about 7 getting all their stuff together. But, at about 10AM they smartly high stepped it up the hill and then headed toward Col. San Antonio to meet all the other colonias who were also heading that way. They say approximately 20,000 participants and spectators. Just imagine. There they were parading through town, throwing candy, dancing, playing music and just having fun.
The exuberance of life in Mexico is contagious. With all that a Mexican family, or any family, could have to be concerned with, they set aside their concerns and worries to enjoy the day of festivities.
Another lesson for me and all of us about "living in the moment" enjoying family, friends and fun.
Viva Mexico!
10 comments:
The sheer number of parades, festivals, plaza parties and the like is one of the great charms of Mexico.
Thanks for sharing.
Saludos,
Kim G
Boston, MA
Where we recently watched the "Dorchester Day" Parade, the 385th annual celebration of the founding of our neighborhood.
I suspect our rain here today will exceed your 1 1/2". I think I have that much standing in the courtyard right now.
Looks like a fun event! Any idea how a saint's day observance evolved into a carnival of "locos"? Of course, I know that Mexicans have a knack for turning any event into something festive.
Have always wanted to catch the locos, particularly as the Feast Day of San Antonio's patron saint slips by rather silently....
Kim, at one time there were 360 activities (desfiles, processions, ceremonies). The town was ordered to cut back on honoring so many saints! Hence, now I think its about 250 days a year (I'm just guessing) but it seems that way.
It's like New Orleans on steroids.........ha
Steve, from habit, I get up each morning during hurricane season and check the satellite on the weather site that I think has the most info. It looks like ya'll are just (and I don't mean that lightly) today as the storm dissipates. Good news...
Bill, San Miguel was surrounded by orchards and many were where Juarez Park is now. They grew apples, pears, plums, peaches and had orange trees along with pomegranate and lemon along with lime. Every year during harvest time the owners would open the gates for harvesters and their families to enter and eat all they wanted. There were also some religious ceremonies in churches in town. The people dressed as orchard workers by wearing jumpers, long sleeved shirts, boots and hats. They would dance to honor St. Paschal Baylon and St. Anthony of Padua. Other people came to watch them dancing. The orchard workers did not have enough space for dancing so they started wearing masks to scare away the onlookers. The workers also carried raccoons, pelicans, skunks, armadillos and other animals. The audience started calling them "locos". Now the parade is divided into four cuadros making up 20 families from various colonias in each square, similar as to how New Orleans has their specific groups for Mardi Gras. (Most of this info came from the Atencion newspaper which is available online at www.atencionsanmiguel.org)
Postcards from San Antonio.......it seems here in SMA no saint's day passes quietly. The "locos" parade is to honor St. Anthony and St. Paschal Baylon. See above......it's a big deal here.
I missed the "Locos" this year too. It is one of my favourite parades, a really fun day. I'm not sure how I managed to miss it, I would have gone if I had realized what day it was. Sometimes the days just blur together.
That's a very interesting story behind the origin of the "locos". Thanks!
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