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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 2, 2011 19:46:32 GMT
August 31 is the feast day of San Ramón Nonato, a priest born in Catalonia in 1204. He is the patron of childbirth, secrets and silence, among other things, none of which have anything to do with the way his day is celebrated at the church of La Mercéd in Oaxaca. Charlie and I were unsure about the exact time of the event, but it was a beautiful day to wend our way through the streets of downtown Oaxaca on the way to the church. As many of you know, August 31 is the day before September 1. September is month of patriotism in Mexico, and the vendors of ways to show ones patriotism were out in force.  Even the various fabric stores in this part of town were displaying patriotic wares ~~ As I said, a beautiful day -- sunny, but with magnficent clouds ~~  We had to walk several blocks, but there was much to see. Never noticed this building before, with its odd marquee thingy on top.  Nice ornamental stonework, suggesting harvest ~ Speaking of stonework, I've mentioned before that the native stone of Oaxaca is a lovely green shade. Isn't this a wonderful updated use of it? Seeing some intriguing advertising for group rates in front of an empty bar, we stick our heads in to check it out. Some bars offer package deals -- so many beers + so many botanas (snacks) in various combinations. This place was in a colonial building with this old tiled bench built into a corner of the entryway ~  But this, just above the bench, made us think twice about wanting to be in the place on a crowded evening ~  |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 2, 2011 19:49:30 GMT
I absolutely adore photo #4.
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 2, 2011 20:07:23 GMT
 Continuing on, we pass more carts selling more flags, giant medallions, bunting, etc.  We even feel the need to go into a fabric store to check out the many ways patriotism can be shown with cloth ~  Arriving at the edge of the big square in front of the church, I try to capture photos of the many butterflies attracted to the lantana hedge. Why do they persist in that annoying fluttering when I want to get a picture?  Well, it's lovely here under the trees, with people enjoying the day ~  Some seem awfully dressed up ~  Really, nothing is going on, although we're heartened to see the main early warning sign of any Mexican festivity -- food stands.  We decide to backtrack & go check out the tacos Arabes place we passed on the way here. First a peek at the man of the hour ~ And a glimpse inside the church ~   We'll be back later. Things should be heating up by then. 
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 2, 2011 23:26:58 GMT
Well, here we are back again. Finally the bowsers to be blessed are starting to arrive. As you can imagine, the proximity of their canine kin was pretty exciting for some ~  |
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 2, 2011 23:43:55 GMT
I see some activity at the church door, but as I approach, one of the inner doors is pushed to keep out the nosy.  Since I'm there anyway, I swing the camera to the left to capture part of the facade of the side building.  The creatures keep arriving, great ...  and small ~  Don't dismiss him for his tininess, though, as his vest proclaims he's part of an important US federal agency.  |
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 2, 2011 23:59:54 GMT
It's been heavy on the hounds so far, but people are arriving with a variety of other house critters. Strange cage-fellows ~  The gossips:   It seems every one has something to say ~  |
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 3, 2011 0:19:23 GMT
But a well-dressed, calm facade can hide some heavy anxiety: Omygod, omygod -- if KoloaGirl won't grant me an audition, I'll die ... I will just die! Cats were in the minority, but upheld the honor of their species ~ |
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Post by hwinpp on Sept 3, 2011 4:14:00 GMT
How come there are so many animals there? Is there a connection to the patron saint?
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 3, 2011 4:29:20 GMT
Ah -- the inner church door has swung open and the priest has stepped out. The crown gathers round ~  He says some words about the beasts of the field, farm, sky, home, etc.  As he speaks, pigeons gather overhead, wanting to get in on the blessing, no doubt.  *sigh*  The priest moves out into the crowd ~  The object he's holding up appears to be aflame, but that's a trick of the light. It's a sort of rustic whisk used to brush ashes from an oven or griddle. He's using it to disperse holy water.  Speaking of blessings, I was blessed with a great serendipitous photo opportunity. I'd just finished snapping the first guy & his dog below, when I looked a few feet to the left & lucked upon the second man and dog.   Snap!  Snap!  Snap!  |
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 3, 2011 4:45:31 GMT
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 3, 2011 5:13:35 GMT
How come there are so many animals there? Is there a connection to the patron saint? Just for you, HW, I went and dug some more trying to find out the connection. As far as I know, it is only in Oaxaca that this blessing of the animals takes place on the day of Saint Raymond Nonnatus/San Ramón Nonato. I finally found a fable that explains it. St. Raymond was from Spain. The local viceroy wanted the remains of St. Raymond to remain in the viceroy's castle, whereas the friars of Mercy (St. R's order) wished him to be buried in the humble hermitage of St. Nicholas. The dispute was finally settled by putting the remains on a blind mule, then the mule let loose to go where it would. No surprise, it went directly to the hermitage, then made three turns around it (to honor the Trinity). From that day, St. Raymond continues to exert his heavenly patronage over domestic animals. Source: regionmerced.eucaristicasmercedarias.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=116:san-ramon-nonato&catid=28:revista(The fable is a good example of saints being confused with each other.) More animals on the way!  |
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 3, 2011 5:24:05 GMT
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 3, 2011 5:38:46 GMT
It will come as no surprise that, with all these creatures and little kids, there were moments of extreme cuteness ~   Okay, maybe this is more weird than cute ~    But this little guy -- could he be any cuter?!  He is a mariachi mutt ~ |
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 3, 2011 5:57:49 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Sept 3, 2011 14:57:36 GMT
That looks like a fun day and the majority of the animals appear to be pleased to be there. Every country has various "blessing of the pets" ceremonies, but this looks considerably more elaborate than anything I have seen.
Were any of the food stands selling hot dogs? ;D
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 3, 2011 17:08:17 GMT
Actually, I was disappointed in the turnout. In the first photo in #8, when the priest comes out of the church and the crowd gathers, I was standing at the back of the crowd, and that's all the crowd there was. In other years when I attended, the entire square was filled with people. Also, this year the crowd seemed to be largely composed of people from the upper end of the middle class, with their brand-name animals. This youtube video is by a really excellent photographer*. It's worth watching just for the little boy and his goat at @2:00. * Chico Sanchez's youtube channel and his website ;D No, I didn't see the wienie wagon. Cultural sensitivity in action? |
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Sept 3, 2011 19:47:04 GMT
Strange...very strange....but it does look like the attendees were enjoying themselves.  |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 3, 2011 20:02:27 GMT
As we know, when people think that a religious event is important, they dress up in their "Sunday best." What I find kind of strange is that the people are mostly dressed absolutely normally while their animals are dressed up. It sort of seems like a contradiction -- "this event is important for my pet but not for me."
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 5, 2011 19:30:10 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Sept 6, 2011 4:58:41 GMT
Perhaps they had already been plucked and fried by the time you arrived, bless their little gizzards.
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Post by nycgirl on Sept 7, 2011 20:37:36 GMT
Aww, these photos are so cute! I love all the little outfits (although I do feel sorry for the "Sid" and "Nancy" dogs). I'm a big animal lover, and although I know that pet owners can be a little absurd in their devotion, it warms my heart to see how much joy animals bring into people lives.
Oh, love the shots of the buildings, too.
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Post by bjd on Sept 8, 2011 7:24:20 GMT
Not being a dog lover, I must admit I find this extremely weird. In one of those bowls alongside turtles and fish, what was that little slug-like thing? And why on earth do people dress their dogs (and a few cats) like that, especially as Kerouac noted they themselves were in their everyday clothes? Is it because they know there will be lots of photographers?
I'm adding that I just watched the video and the little boy with his goat is indeed cute.
Are those chihuahua dogs particularly popular in Mexico?
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 8, 2011 18:36:12 GMT
Gee thanks, Kerouac. I was already bummed over not seeing the chickens, & now you tell me I missed out on a local version of Popeye's as well! Thanks so much, NYCGirl, especially since you know how much I enjoy your building photos. Anyone who has had a beloved pet knows that they so often do more for us than we do for them. Bjd, you & Kerouac seriously want solid reasons for why the pets are fancily dressed and their humans are not? ;D To me it seems obvious that it's the pets' day in the sun, and that nothing should distract from their glory. As good an explanation as any.I don't know that chihuahuas are more popular than other breeds. There was a brief, creepy fad for them when a flamboyant singer/actress had miniature ones in her role on a soap opera. (one of them was named Mona Lisa) As far as I could tell at the blessing, schnauzers seemed to be the most popular dog breed. I guess these yappers are chihuahuas. They live on the roof of a house near me and go crazy whenever anyone walks by. That was the only time I ever saw them dressed, & don't know what the occasion was.  |
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Post by bjd on Sept 8, 2011 18:49:39 GMT
I can't stand those dogs -- they look like rats with big ears.
Speaking of yappers, my neighbour told me the other day that she sent her dog to obedience school to get him to stop barking all the time and he failed the course.
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 9, 2011 16:43:52 GMT
The truth is that many people let small dogs get away with behavior they'd never allow in a larger dog. "Oh, he's so fierce -- isn't that cute?!" I once abruptly acquired two small adult dogs because their owner had died. They were annoying little barkers, but not for long, as I trained them out of it. It's a shame that little dogs get that bad reputation, since many of the small breeds are ideal for people who'd like an animal companion, but who don't have much room. I didn't mean to ignore your question about the "little slug-like thing". It's a snail.  When I asked the kid what its name was, he turned to his parents, who supplied "Caracol saurienis" (or something similar). You'd think it would be so cuddly, so much fun, that it would have gotten an affectionate name by now. |
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