The Resurrection - Mexican Style

Last night I watched an amazing celebration at the San Antonio Church. The plaza in front of the church is large and it was full with families who came prepared with stools for the elders to sit on or for the Mom's who were holding little ones. Around the edges there were vendors selling fast food and others selling candles of all sizes.

When we first arrived the music and prayers sounded solemn like many of the Semana Santa services and processions that I have seen in the last week but suddenly fireworks erupted from the roof and the bell towers of the church.

 

 

Up from the grave he arose;

with a mighty triumph o'er his foes;

he arose a victor from the dark domain,

and he lives forever,

with the saints to reign.

He arose! He arose! Hallelujah!

Christ arose!  

 

 

 Christ appeared with his arms outstretched and his white shroud loosened and flowing from his body. He was carried on a pallet covered in flowers through the plaza above the heads of the crowd. White balloons soared into the night sky, confetti drifted from the roof of the church as more and more fireworks lit up the sky. The music changed from solemn to snappy contemporary rhythms and everyone was singing and waving white pompoms. On the terrace of the church the priest was leading by waving a pompom and jumping up and down. A young man by the priest was like a cheerleader urging the crowd on.

 

We watched this joyful celebration for about 30 minutes and it was still going on when we left the plaza. It was the most joyous and beautiful religious ceremony I think I've ever been to.

 

 

 

 

Locos in Colonia San Antonio

We have had some very strange people on the loose in Colonia San Antonio today. Some seem harmless but I'm not so sure about others.

My plan was to use my 70-200 mm zoom lens so I could get more blur in the background. Didn't work. Ok I could get the blur but that put me too far away from the subject and it was crowded so I was losing shots when people walked between us. So I put on the 24-70 zoom and used it wide open at 2.8 and most of the time at 24 mm. That way I was in close. For those of you who are wondering what the heck I'm talking about, don't worry about it. That is just the technical stuff you think about before you and the camera start having fun.

The Locos Parade has become gigantic. Now the staging area goes almost all the way to the Glorieta by the Mega the grocery store. But it is fun because everyone comes out dressed outrageously and ready to have fun. The people who come to watch are out early to get a good place, hopefully in the shade and most people bring coolers of drinks and umbrellas for shade and for catching the candy that the paraders throw. I even saw a few families who snagged a place to park a car and they were tailgating with tables, chairs and food. Also so saw lots of selfies being made. It is great family fun.

The Posada Across the Street

In the last post I was a little sad that I had not seen a neighborhood Posada. Oh, the Posada led by the San Antonio Church was wonderful but there is something very special to me when it is a grassroots event. Ask and ye shall receive.

Last night just as Carly and I were getting ready to go to bed, I heard singing in the street. We flew back to the upstairs studio to get the camera and when I looked out the window, there was the Posada knocking on the door across the street asking to come in. I was afraid that by the time I got the camera and got outside that they would have moved on so I decided to shoot from the window.

It was a good decision because just after I took this picture, the door opened and this was the house that gave Mary and Joseph room in the stable. The little house is about 10 feet wide but still all the people who had been in the street, maybe 75 or 100 people, followed Mary and Joseph into the house. I love the small bouquets. I love the candles. I love the kids lighting sparklers. I love the music. I love celebrating Christmas in such an intimate way. How blessed I am that it all happened in the street by my house.

My Neighborhood Posada

Last week I loaded up the camera with a new battery and the lens I thought I'd use, plus I had a wider angle lens right beside it for quick pickup. I wanted to be ready when I heard the music outside that signaled the neighborhood Posada. The Posadas are held during the nine days before Christmas and are a recreation of Mary and Joseph looking for a place to stay. There is a traditional song that the children sing at each stop along the way asking for a room for Mary and Joseph.

In the past we have had some very elaborate Posadas around my street with Mary on a donkey, a band, and everyone walking with candles. When Mary and Joseph finally find a place to stay and all the prayers are said, piñatas are strung across the street and the children have a great time whacking at it until finally it is broken and candy falls. There are usually traditional foods and ponche and bags of oranges and goodies for everyone.

If that happened on my street this year, I missed it but last night I did hear a group singing in the street. I grabbed a jacket and my camera and headed out. It was a large group that was lead by the same truck that usually leads processions from the San Antonio Church. There was a keyboard in the bed of the truck and someone was leading the music interspersed with readings and prayers from the priest. This time there were statues of Mary and Joseph carried by some of the women, not a "real" Mary on a "real" donkey. And there were not any candles. I followed along for a way until I was sure that they were headed to the San Antonio Church then I headed back home. I hope that when they got to the plaza in front of the church that there are piñatas, ponche and food for everyone.

I hope that the wonderful posadas in the little neighborhoods in the Colonia are still happening and I just missed the one on my street this year.

The Virgin of Guadalupe

 

Every year on December 12, the San Antonio Church in my Colonia is the destination of a procession in honor of the Virgin of Guadalupe. I have not been here for it for several years but I'm here this year and headed over to the church. The procession comes up Salida a Celaya and the line stretched back as far as I could see. They are carrying their pictures and statutes of the Virgin to be blessed. There is also a big contingent of people on horseback with banners honoring the Virgin.

 

One thing I didn't see this year were people who came long distances on their knees. The one exception to that was while I was sitting in the church before the procession, one woman came up the aisle of the church on her knees, prayed for a few minutes and then left.

 

With the celebration of the Virgin of Guadalupe it is like the Christmas Season has officially begun. Next it will be the posadas. It is a good time for me and my camera. 

 

 

Afternoon Rain

It is 5:00 PM and it is raining. The second hard rain this afternoon. It is especially loud in the studio because of the skylight over the stairs. I love being on the second floor where I can see the mountains fade into the rain but what is close by becomes saturated with color. When I focus on the raindrops against the window everything else disappears into a blur of watercolor. Seeing something as simple as the raindrops has brought joy to my heart on a difficult day.

Locos Parade....A Week Late

The Locos Parade was last Sunday. I'm running a little behind but I wanted to share the fun. The first time we went to the parade was in the late 1990's. It was a small event at that time. I can remember we were renting a house by the San Antonio church and we had been to the parade in the morning. Later that afternoon we heard music at the plaza in front of the church so we walked over. There were the costumed people from the parade that  morning, dancing. The Mexicans have amazing stamina when it comes to parades and dancing. There were some people watching but we had no trouble finding a place to sit on the steps of the church and watch.

Every year the parade has grown and grown. This year the staging for the parade extended from Cardo to the Glorieta on Salida a Celaya. And the viewers extended from the staging area through town to the Parroquia. I think 90% of the population was either watching or participating.

This was the first time I've seen the Balloon heads in the parade. Very colorful. And if you would like to see some more of what I saw click HERE.

My Street at Night

It wasn't exactly the middle of the night. More like 5:30 AM, the first day of Daylight Savings Time in Mexico. And it was the day that Senor de la Columna is brought to the San Juan de Dios church for Easter. It was really, really hard to roll out of bed but I had not been to the procession in several years and I wanted to go see it.

I love the colors of the lights and the shadows. There is something so peaceful about the street but also it is erie. I like photographing close to home. This shot was handheld. Not quite good enough for a print so I'll probably have to roll out of bed another time and head down the street with the camera on a tripod.

This Morning

Looking out the kitchen window at 10 o'clock this morning the mountains are still shrouded in a fog although the sun is shining in town. It is a beautiful morning, clear and cool. A soft rain last night left a wet footprint on the patio and the colors are vibrant. I love my little patio. It was one of the things I fell in love with the first time I saw this house.

There is something so special about the mornings in this house. One morning last week I woke up and looked though the tree foliage outside my bedroom window. The sky was a neon blue. Really, neon blue! Such an amazing color that I was afraid to move for fear it would disappear. I don't think I've ever seen that color in the morning sky before.

I have made breakfast, had coffee, read emails and now, a loaf of banana nut bread is in the oven. It is filling the kitchen with warmth and a wonderful smell that is so comforting.

It was just a week ago today that I returned to San Miguel and the return this September is so different this year than it was last year when I came back for the first time after Ned died. Then I wasn't sure if I would stay in San Miguel or not but within a week or two I was pretty sure that I would. This year there were not any questions in my mind about living here. I truly came home.

Every morning last week when I woke up, my soul was filled with peace and joy but it was not a shout-out-loud joy. It was more like a sense of being in the right place. I do not know what tomorrow will bring but I am so thankful for this moment; the smell of baking bread, my hands in warm soapy dishwater, the view out the kitchen window, the birds chirping away on the patio, Carly napping near by. I am blessed.

Wednesday Morning

On the couch looking at the patio. 

Dappled light on terra cotta walls.

Tall cactus reaching to the sky

Birds  chirping away

Fountain gurgling

Leaf patterns everywhere

Some would say a waste of time. 

I probably would have said that a few years ago. 

Not now

A blessing

A meditation

My soul is replenished

In this moment

Peace, calm and joy

Wednesday morning 10:15 AM