Pirotecnia Mexicana

[bixaorellana]

Day after tomorrow -- December 12 -- is the feast of the Virgin of Guadalupe. Besides being immensely important in Mexico, she is also the patroness of the little chapel just steps from my house. Looking across the street to the playing field, this is what greeted my eyes at 3:30 yesterday afternoon:

The guys putting together the fireworks for the festival let me take pictures ~~

[bixaorellana]

Three hours later, they were still hard at work ~





















They're not out there today, but get your earplugs & stay tuned for the igniting of all this dangerously beautiful stuff.

[htmb]

Have you thought about a travel destination on Dec. 12? (If you go to Kerouac's, take your own coffee )

[bixaorellana]

Are you kidding? I ADORE fireworks. I just hope I don't have to post pictures of me in the hospital with my head wrapped in bandages because of my habit of getting as close as I can to the action.

[mossie]

At least the Virgin has a big smile on her face. In anticipation of a glorious bang I suppose. ;D

[htmb]

Dec 10, 2012 21:23:46 GMT bixaorellana said:

Are you kidding? I ADORE fireworks. I just hope I don't have to post pictures of me in the hospital with my head wrapped in bandages because of my habit of getting as close as I can to the action.

You are a better woman than I, dear girl!

Oh, Mossie.

[Deleted]

I remember your photos of previous years and they were great. However, I am suddenly wondering -- do they take ANY safety precautions for this? Are there fire extinguishers and/or firemen present?

[tod2]

Mossie you're incorrigible!! I think its is wonderful see see humour in the wonders around us - shows you're very much a live wire ;D

[mossie]

Dec 11, 2012 14:22:40 GMT tod2 said:

you're incorrigible!! ;D

Those were the exact words I remember my English mistress saying as she threw me out of her class again. (I could always wind her up enough for that, then I could sneak off to the bogs for a cigarette ;D ;D) I thought the word meant that I would not rust.

[bixaorellana]

Dec 11, 2012 8:22:48 GMT mossie said:

At least the Virgin has a big smile on her face. In anticipation of a glorious bang I suppose.

;D                           badda badda BANG!
          

Dec 11, 2012 14:05:14 GMT kerouac2 said:

I am suddenly wondering -- do they take ANY safety precautions for this? Are there fire extinguishers and/or firemen present?

Oh, you are so CUTE sometimes! ;D ;D ;D
The answer to your question is, "Yeah, right. "
It's not uncommon in Oaxaca to see these guys at traffic intersections, performing for spare change.

pic source

At any rate, thanks to all for your interest. There's more flash & bang in this thread yet to come!

[htmb]

Holy cow!

[bixaorellana]

Okay, let's move this right along, as you still haven't seen last night's pyrotechnics and, even as I type, the band is tootling away outside the church & rockets are being fired. Tonight, praise be, they'll light the castillo, which you all are familiar with from carefully studying the link in the OP. Last night featured toritos, with which you all are equally conversant from the same perusal of aforesaid link.

Waiting outside the church for Mass to finish ~



The truck/float for the Virgin ~



Mass is over, the truck is blessed ~



Some excited milling around preparatory to heading out and taking the procession all through the colonia ~

[bixaorellana]

Meanwhile, over in the playing field with as little fanfare as zillions of slender tubes of gunpowder can have, this was going off ~









Ooooo! The float has floating colored lights this year ~

[/url



Dance, dance, dance ~



Lovely Liliana ~





And now, in thread time, it's 7:45 pm, December 10, as the procession heads out. They will return.

[bixaorellana]

They're back! It's 11:30 now and time for some fun ~

[bixaorellana]

And then the picture from the float is carried into the church. Except for the people who hung around drinking, that was it for the night.
You can skip the video if you wish. The music is not only somewhat sour, it creates a persistent earworm.
Sounds to me like a strange arrangement of the music from Jules et Jim.

[htmb]

Your nighttime photos are fabulous, bixa! I love the warm tones of the first few shots. Nice job with the fireworks photos, too!

[bixaorellana]

Thanks! To be honest, I think those golden tones are from the sallow-hued streetlight. ;D

Time: TODAY, this afternoon:

Here is a firework of a different sort. I was all excited when I saw it, thinking it augured tamales.
Just found out it's for coffee.


There it stands, a beacon of hope promising dazzling delights ~


Note the still naked legs. They're supposed to be dressed with all kinds of linked fireworks ~










Can you see the corona at the very top? That will spin off and explode for a grand finale ~



The letters around the top ring read "Reyna de Mexico" ~


Later in the afternoon:

Thank goodness! More fireworks are being put together. Those naked legs were worrying me.




And just because I saw that on the way to the corner store, here's a shot from the store ~


Oh dear! The poor little aliens died from stuffing themselves on junk food ~

[lola]

Wonderful, Bixa! Thank you for this peek behind the curtain at the fireworks wizardry.

Fun to see them working behind the scenes. Is cane or bamboo native around there?

(I love fireworks, too.)

[mossie]

This must all be the most tremendous fun, thanks Bixa for showing us. Can't wait for the grand finale.

PS I'm pleased to see that the Health and Safety kings have insisted that the seats in the truck are properly secured. ;D

[Deleted]

Bixa may not survive the explosion.

[bixaorellana]

You should be so lucky!

I survived and thrived on it. What almost did me in were the fights with Realplayer and IE today, but I prevailed in order to bring you my patented murky videos. Only one is uploaded so far, but here are some photos as well.

You all saw the pics in the previous post showing the guys making the rest of the doo-dads for the fireworks castle in the late afternoon. Yes, this meant that they were arming it right up to the last minute. No matter, the band played furiously & at length, & there were burning virgins and exploding bulls. There are still some of those left, which will be enjoyed tonight. We've already had the Mass, the pozole, & the band is still playing its brains out.

Who can figure out what this is?




Lotta gunpowder!


This picture is for Kerouac:
unattended children who've built a fire & are feeding it with dry grass ~


There's something medieval and magical about it all ~

[bixaorellana]

[htmb]

So, this is what I'd miss when I'm hauling it in the opposite direction! Oh my!!! I'm at a loss for words, but great job on the video, bixa.

[bixaorellana]

Thanks! Watching it here will keep your hair from catching on fire, Htmb, and you can turn down the sound!

Thank you, Lola -- wish you were here! There is bamboo & giant cane here, but I don't know what's native. The cane is kind of a pest, but is used for everything -- fencing, fireworks, etc.

Thanks, Mossie! The finale castle is coming up. Depending on whether or not you all want any more of this, I can also provide videos of the virgins banging.

Dec 12, 2012 8:27:55 GMT mossie said:

I'm pleased to see that the Health and Safety kings have insisted that the seats in the truck are properly secured.

Oh lord ~~ I have been here too long! All I thought when I saw the chairs was, "I wonder who's riding in the back."

So anyway .............
In thread time let's return to the glorious 11th, last night, and enjoy the spectacle of the castillo. And don't be fooled when you think nothing is happening. Those fuses are merrily burning away!

[bixaorellana]

And now finally, the actual day of the Virgin of Guadalupe ~~ December 12 ..............

Wandering over to see what's going on at the church, I encounter this little Juan Diego ~


During 5 o'clock Mass, tireless chapel committee ladies set out pozole for the masses.
They spooned hominy into the bowls first, then at the last minute added chicken, more broth, & some garnishes ~












People ate & chatted, and the band played on. It was a most intrepid band, too, playing with gusto & verve for hours.
I went back in my house, where I could hear them just as well.
The smell of gunpowder drew me back outside later, where I enjoyed some shots of tequila with the neighbors & yet more toritos.

[mossie]

Thanks so much for lighting up my breakfast Bixa. ;D ;D
Glad that wasn't my car parked by the castilio.
Where was Kerouac with his fire extinguisher
Running for his life with the Health and Safety wallahs I guess. ;D

[Don Cuevas]

Dec 10, 2012 21:23:46 GMT bixaorellana said:

Are you kidding? I ADORE fireworks. I just hope I don't have to post pictures of me in the hospital with my head wrapped in bandages because of my habit of getting as close as I can to the action.

One of the aspects I admire about Mexico is that you are generally allowed to put yourself at risk. It's your choice. Less nanny-coddling here.

When we moved to Pátzcuaro in 2005, we not only viewed, but stood in the midst of the pyrotechnic firing ground and celebrated our arrival, my birthday and the anniversary of the founding of the city. It was, to coin a phrase, a blast. We were unharmed but our clothing had a few burn holes after, a small price to pay for the experience.

Bixa:
"What almost did me in were the fights with Realplayer and IE today..."

RealPlayer? That still around?

[Deleted]

Glad that everybody survived -- this time.

Actually, in a country that tries to play it safe, I have had fireworks falling out of the sky on me more than once. The wind is the master for the high flying stuff. The Mexican displays are actually safer because they are all attached to something.

[bixaorellana]

Dec 13, 2012 8:19:03 GMT mossie said:

Thanks so much for lighting up my breakfast Bixa.

Any time, Mossie, any time!

Dec 14, 2012 11:38:49 GMT Don Cuevas said:

One of the aspects I admire about Mexico is that you are generally allowed to put yourself at risk. It's your choice.

Yeah, the prevalent attitude is that you should know the inherent dangers going in, so whatever happens is your own fault. Still, sometimes it's hard not to think fondly of certain laws in the US, such as the one that would prevent three-year-olds from riding unsecured in the back of pick-up trucks.

Dec 14, 2012 18:35:58 GMT kerouac2 said:

The Mexican displays are actually safer because they are all attached to something.

Hmm ~~ perhaps someone did not watch all the videos.
At new year's 2000, I saw people on downtown streets with launchers only slightly smaller than those used by NASA. The toritos & castillo at our little neighborhood festival were pretty tame, but still had a few whistling buzzbombs & of course the flying crown from the castillo (although a tiny example).
I treasure the memory of being in the huge Plaza de la Danza one year. It was solidly crammed with people on the plaza side, with the food stands & their open fires on the other side of a wall. Fireworks were being set off in the plaza when suddenly there was much screaming & a huge column of fire from the other side of the wall. Apparently a rocket had come down in a pan of boiling oil at a fried banana stand. The whole crowd had a good laugh over this. ;D

Saturday I went to a wedding with a friend. We were making mild critiques of the food, decorations, etc. as one does. At one point she said disapprovingly, "Humph -- not a single firecracker!

[lola]

Wonderful, Bixa. I like the background music with the fireworks, so much better than in these parts.

I say: less Nanny State, more fireworks.

Little Juan Diego is too adorable.

They spell it posole in New Mexico, and are more likely to add pork. Makes me want a bowl of it right now.