On Friday the fourth of September, San Pancho began the nine-day festival that I've not seen for several years, having spent my Septembers in other places. The festival reaches its peak on October 4, the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of this pueblo.
If you're here, you really can't miss it, even if you'd like to. The fireworks (cohetes, big bottle rockets) announce the dawn every morning at 4:45. They explode again at noon, then again around 6 in the evening when each colonia (neighborhood) has its own parade to the church, during which parade and after which parade more cohetes are launched. This goes on for eight days. On the ninth day, the town and its visitors are treated to free food and a whole lot of music. And horses. Oh yeah, and also another parade...with cohetes.
During the whole nine days, the main plaza is ringed by vendors and game booths and carnival rides.
They seem kind of deserted, don't they? That's because that night we went at 9 pm which is way too early. The action doesn't even begin to pick up until 10, and none of the music acts I wanted to see started until well after 11. I missed them.
In Mexico, the carnival games are the old-fashioned kind. They have rocks to throw at bottles (to win a beer) and guns to shoot at clay figures. They're also extremely non-Disney.
Scary, huh? Not as scary as the Crazy Pendulum.
I missed that, too.
On the final night the town was packed. Even the backstreets had cars in every conceivable parking space. I'm guessing there were a thousand people in the plaza.
Speaking of the plaza, wait 'til you see the new mural. A local artist, Ramiro Gonzales aka Cocho, painted the backdrop and then created the Huichol-style designs...in bottle caps.
Plaza del Sol, the big plaza across from the church with the mural and the rides, was empty during the day on the final Saturday. Instead, the town congregated at the little plaza, affectionately known by the gringos here as Domino Park, as the old men of the pueblo spend long hours there over incomprehensible games of dominos. Not today, though. There was too much going on.
Bandas, free food, dancing horses, cotton candy, cold beer, and a place to sit for everyone who wants one. The perfect Mexican celebration.
I spotted this elegant rider watching his fellow charros perform on their dancing horses.
A while later, this happened.
We're laughing our heads off in this picture. It was lovely.
San Pancho Days is not a North American celebration, nor is it meant to be. But the local people love it. It's Mexican style and on Mexican time. The neighborhood parades followed by a mass at the church are a cherished tradition. People came in droves, even in taxis from other towns, on Saturday night. There weren't many gringos in Domino Park on Saturday afternoon, but I chatted with many Mexican friends, young, old, and in between.
Including Lidia and Santiago.
Now I'm going to go print that photo and give it to them tomorrow morning. They'll love that, too.
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