Every year at this time a Festival begins here at Lakeside that lasts nine days. It will end tomorrow, I think and I survived it once again. Most expats head for the hills (or the beach) to escape the noise. Last Saturday night I had an opportunity to go to the Plaza in Ajijic for the evening to attend a concert featuring La Orquesta Axixic which I will write about soon. After the concert we stayed to experience some of the excitement of the Festival. The Mexican people just love parades and shooting off things that explode.
Here’s a description of the Festival as reported in the Guadalajara Reporter:
“The local fiestas revolve around the nine-day novenario of religious activities honoring San Andres Apostol, beginning every day at 6 a.m. with the mañanitas fireworks and music salute. A celebration of Mass at the village parish follows at 8 a.m. with the jubilant pealing of church bells – the repique – ringing out at noon. Each evening fiestas’ sponsors gather at the west end Six Corners intersection, 6:30 p.m. for a candlelight procession along Calle Hidalgo leading into the evening mass.
Aside from the religious angle, the fiestas provide a framework for plenty of secular revelry centered at the town square following evening church services. Throngs gather to socialize, chow down on typical snacks, fuel up on firewater and swing to the beat of live bands. Youngsters get their kicks from turns on the mechanical rides, games of chance and flinging confetti filled eggs.
Each evening caps off with a towering castillo fireworks display erected at the south east corner of the plaza or inside the church atrium for a fiery blast off between 10:30 and 11 p.m.”
