Hola amigos. Yes, we're still here. And, yes, we should have left a few days ago. Unfortunately the weather Gods thought otherwise and we have the pleasure of biding our time for, hopefully, just a few more days until we can move on in relative comfort.
Kathy has been home to visit mom and she's now back on board safe and sound. I have been doing what you do when you live on a boat... maintenance and repairs interspersed with bouts of binge reading and morning walks.
I was invited by friends for a day trip adventure to Bucerius to witness the last day of Our Lady of Guadalupe celebrations. This was quite amazing and involved terrific dances performed by the Huichol Indians. Their historical story (over 15,000 years of it) is complex and well covered on Wikipedia if you want to look it up. But I was first attracted by the scented smoke they used and then totally absorbed by their dance routines, energy and stamina. Men, women, and children all in traditional regalia and all moving to the rhythm of the drummer. Foot movements, body twirling and the sounds of their rattles and beads all made for a mezmerizing and enchanting experience. I was particularly attracted by the main movement of the group as they circled the area (which by the way was on the front patio of the beautifully decorated Cathedral). They all wore large ankle coverings made from the dried husks of large nuts which, as their feet hit the ground or moved quickly... sounded so much like something I'd seen and heard before. Kathy's niece has two children. Her son Colton is a grass dancer and her daughter Hannah dances the Jingle Dress Dance with her group in Pukatawagan, Manitoba (part of the Mathias Colomb (Cree) First Nation). I was fascinated and excited to see the similarities between the Jingle Dress Dance and the dance of the Huichol's. Both had the same or similar foot movements and both were accompanied by the rhythm and sounds of the nuts in one case and the rows of metal cones attached to the dresses in the other. I guess the only difference was the history of the two groups; one dating back thousands of years in Mexico and the other being much younger and in northern Canada. It seems this is another example of how our customs have evolved and how much we are all part of each other. This truly is a small world.
Once the dancing was finished we all moved to the beach where we waited and waited. Finally the fleet came in. In this portion of the celebration the fishing fleet is to race to shore and then be blessed by the Priest. This year there was, apparently, a lot less racing and a lot more decoration. The lead panga carried a very large cross and many people. The other pangas were equally decorated and loaded with folks. They arrived as a peaceful group and then took turns taking on the surf and running up onto the sandy beach and unloading their passengers.
And then came the horses; beautiful steeds, their coats gleaming and their riders proudly dressed in historical regalia. There seemed to be dozens and dozens of them and they filled the streets from the beach to the Cathedral. At that point Bucerius was just a sea of people, horses, smoke, dancing, celebration and rejoicing as everyone celebrated the Virgin Mary. We took our leave and headed out to find a cold cerveza.
Where are the pictures?? I hear you cry. I took hundreds on my friends iPad and, with luck, they will arrive and I will share some with you. Sorry for the delay but I wanted to write to you about this amazing celebration before I forgot the sounds, smells and feelings. I will get the photos out as soon as I can but, if you're interested just google "Huichol Indians dancing in San Blas" (which is a small town a little up the coast).
That's all I have for today. We've had some sheet lightening and thunder these last couple of nights. They say that's normal for January. Hmmm. I hope Thor knows there's only two days left in January. Fingers are crossed hoping for that weather window to open up soon. (That tapping sound you hear is my foot... I'm ready to move on :-)
Adios me amigos y amigas... I hope all is well with each of you.... CJ
Posted by: Carolyn (via Kathy's Google mail profile)
