The brains behind the organization of Ajijic’s annual Fat Tuesday parade are suggesting some etiquette guidelines for this year.
According to the rules of engagement, the masked marauders running out in front are asked hold back fire on elderly spectators or anyone who’s dressed in yellow as a sign of mercy.
Do they really think there’s hope of bridling the customary, age-old frenzy? And where’s the fun in that?
The town’s Desfile de Carnaval always stands out for its imaginative floats, boisterous revelers and above all, the unruly antics of the Sayaca dancers at the lead. The madcap male and female characters – traditionally portrayed by men decked out in outlandish costumes – rouse jovial spirits as they romp through the streets furiously pitching fistfuls of confetti and flour at onlookers lined up along the route.
Anonymous behind wooden or papier maché masks, Sayacas generally direct the brunt of these rather benign assaults at intimate friends and the bands of kids running amok to taunt them as they go. But anyone in sight is fair game. Age, gender and nationality are irrelevant.
Folks averse to such “uncivilized” behavior are advised to shelter in place and catch the action on videos that will inevitably pop up on Facebook and You Tube.
There’s plenty else to do over the remaining days of the local celebrations. Chapala’s more sedate Carnaval parade, set to roll down Avenida Madero for Sunday, February 7, 10 a.m. to noon, will feature fancy floats, beauty queens, sultry dancers, marching bands and more.
Daily activities on the fairgrounds at Chapala’s Cristiania Park include circus acts, dancing horses, mechanical rides and other types of entertainment, starting up as early as 11 a.m., although the big music shows and most food and drinks services run from dusk until the wee hours.
The Lienzo Charro arenas in both Chapala and Ajijic are also focal points of action for seasonal jaripeos (bull riding events), with live banda music and dancing in the stands, starting daily at 4 p.m.
Remember that wherever they happen, the point of Mardi Gras festivities is to blow off steam before giving up the pleasures of the flesh during the time of ritual fasting, prayer, penance and self-denial dictated by the 40 days of Lent. All the noise and excitement will die down on Ash Wednesday, February 10.