The Festival of El Senor de Esquipulas

Madeline and Pattie in the church courtyard laughing at the antics of the band and los gigantes.

So much snow in the northeast, and so much sun and fun in Oaxaca!  January 15th is the Feast of Our Lord of Esquipulas, a beautiful black statue of the crucified Christ that is in the Church of Carmen Alto.  For reasons known only to Mexicans, this particular statue loves to be honored with lots of loud music, calendas through the streets of the parish, and of course, fireworks. Naturally, there are masses and prayers throughout the weekend as well, and there are usually fireworks and loud noises to begin and end those too.

Madeline, Pattie and Bill arrived a few days later than planned as their flight was cancelled due to snow. Luckily, they got here Friday about 10 pm, just in time for the big celebration.  Their airplane landed, they put their bags in their bedrooms and we ran up to Carmen Alto Church hoping that there was still some part of the calenda to experience. Si, senor! They were still dancing in the streets with a great loud band and lots of gigantic dolls.

Los gigantes entertaining everyone at the end of the calenda.

More of the festival:  Sunday afternoon's folkloric dance performance

It was such a joy to watch the young dancers! Their energy and enthusiasm are so inspiring.

Many schools teach the folk dancing and songs as part of the curriculum. We could see that these kids were  proud of  themselves and their culture.

Some young fans look on.  By the way, the traditional clothing and dance in the above photos is actually from Jalisco, the Mexican state that includes Guadalajara and Tequila - yes, that is where they produce the liquor.

The second part of the show featured traditional clothing from Oaxaca  along with one of its most popular dances. The red skirts are hand loomed cotton and each of the unique tunics are embroidered, beaded and/or  appliqued. The clothing and dance is from the southern part of the state of Oaxaca, the isthmus of Tehauntepec.

Unfortunately I cannot include the music even though I can hear it in my head as I type these lines: it is fast and fun and, of course, repetitious. 

The young women move back and forth in lines, sometimes holding the pineapples over their heads. They move them from shoulder to shoulder, place them on the ground and dance around them - and  at the Guelagetza celebration in July, they toss the pineapples into the crowd as they finish the dance!

 The smallest (and the youngest) of the gigantes we saw that weekend.  He really wanted to be part of the action and he hung in their despite the difficulties.

The little guy tilted quite a bit, but he kept getting back up.  That is Banda Peligro in the background, they have more energy than you can imagine.  They were excellent and they played for hours and hours all weekend long.  They were also good sports: they just ignored the drunk guy who kept stepping in front of them trying to be their conductor!

The little guy taking a break.  The two piece outfit has a frame of bamboo in the top half that must be held in place as he walks or dances.  I have never tried it but I am sure it isn't easy.  It sure is fun to watch though!

After the dancing and antics with the band, there was a large communal meal for parish members so we went off to eat some wonderful Oaxacan food to prepare for the long night ahead. 

Good thing, too, since we stayed until midnight! When we finally left, after the procession through the streets with the statue, after the fireworks, after the people dancing holding bulls and angels over their heads that shot more sparklers and fireworks into the crowd: the band was still playing, the gigantes were still dancing and people were throwing candy and pieces of plasticware into the crowd.

I forgot to mention that before, the Oaxacans must think Jesus really likes plastic cups, pitchers and storage containers, because they were still flying through the air when we left. Many happy people left carrying their loot! Here are some photos from Sunday evening's celebration:

The beautiful, much loved statue being readied for the procession.  Throughout the evening people were coming up to the statue, touching it with flowers or sometimes with their hands, then blessing themselves and their children.

The procession moves through the streets of the parish, then returns to the church.  People stood in long lines waiting to touch the statue before it returned to its niche high in one of the chapels for the rest of the year.

A man gets the crowd ready for the big fireworks display by carrying a figure of a bull that has small rockets and sparklers attached to it - very exciting and very crazy!

The gigantes join in the fun.  The castillo, or tower of fireworks, can be seen on the right.

An "angel" joins the gigantes. Even with the photos, it is hard to imagine this scene. Most of the photos did not come out once the angels and bulls were exploding, there was just too much smoke and light.  All these photos are of the more subdued moments.

Another angel

We knew you wouldn't believe this without an actual photo, so here it is: El Senor on the cross: in fireworks!  The wheel at the top spun around as the cross was displayed.  One of the smaller circles held the image of the host and chalice and that spun around and around, too. 

All this excitement packed into one weekend, what a way to start a vacation!  This entry only takes us through January 19, so fans of Bill, Pattie and Madeline should check in soon to see photos of them cooking Oaxacan food, doing aerobics in the park and exploring the ruins of Monte Alban and Mitla.

In the meantime, que te vaya bien!