Here comes the parade!

Saddle is as big as he is!

Arrived for the parade!

This group of guys are here for the Carnaval Parade. We are at the staging area. Probably won't do that again. I forget that in Mexico if the parade begins at 10 am it will be an hour more; but it was fun anyway - eventually! What I look forward to each year is the Sayacas, who chase the little boys (see my post from 2/23/12 for a full explanation of this local folk custom). There were 50 or more, dressed up in outrageous costumes to rival the best Halloween get-ups we see NOB (north of the border). The little boys love it. They get all fired up, race around chasing each other just to let off steam until the Sayacas begin the chase. As for the parade, most everything in it is just a bit risque - from pole dancing cross dressers to scantily clad young ladies dancing to the relentless beat of the music piped out of the "floats". A couple of marching bands keep the pace, and lots of beads and confetti is thrown - a nod to Mardi Gras. The confetti is then taken home on/in your clothing, your hair and stuck to your skin. Mucho fun !

Carnaval is huge in the Chapala area, lasting a couple of weeks. I wish that I had better photos of the parade in Ajijic. I took videos, and even those are not great because the IPhone has issues with lighting and detail. I didn't catch the mad scramble at the beginning of the parade when the Sayacas chase the little boys, as I had to duck into a doorway to keep from being trampled! A contingency of Charro (horsemen), young and old, take up the rear to end the parade. Above and below are pictures of very young riders, dressed up in beautiful regalia. It's clear that they take horsemanship   very seriously here. Some of the Charro have taught their horses to "dance", much to the delight of the crowd. But it's early, and the parade will go from one end of town and back again. By the time they get to the plaza in the middle of town some of the horses are overheated (I saw this last year) and I felt very sorry for them...

Young horsewoman