Month: November 2017

As the title suggests, this weekend concluded our first international festival of our Xoloscuintle – otherwise know as the Colima Dog. The xolo is thought to be the oldest dog in mesoamerica and you can’t go anywhere in Colima without seeing it depicted, usually in red pottery, and even in a traffic circle in Colima City:

To find out more about the history of this wonderful dog that was worshipped, used as food, used as protection and also sometimes buried with their owners to provide guidance in the next world, you can click on the link here:

http://www.mexonline.com/history-hairlessdog.htm

 

In the meantime, welcome to the Festival:

When I arrived at the Jardín Libertad in Colima, I noticed an explosion of paper flowers, giant posters and photos and a proliferation of giant statues of the Xolo.    Flower-covered archways lead to the fountains and the gazebo.

 

The plaque states: Colima Dogs. The figure is emblematic of the State of Colima. Significance: The transmission of knowledge from an older dog to a young dog. Generational struggle. 

On Saturday, I did not make it in time for any events, but did see families walking with their dogs. Many breeds of dogs, but mostly the xolo, for whom this festival was named. I had never seen one in real life, only the pottery one and statues, so I was amazed at the fact that they truly are hairless, some only having wisps of hair on top of their heads or at the end of their tails.

Upon reading about them, I find that their body temperatures are higher than other breeds of dogs, perhaps as compensation for not having hair to protect them from the cold. They also make good pets for people with allergies; since they have no hair, they have no fleas or other vermin, nor, I imagine, dander.

In addition to the displays, there was a small kitchen set up with chairs and tables where you could buy something to eat and drink, decorated with Catrinas, of course.

One of the things I missed was the running of the obstacle course,  but it was still set up from earlier in the day, with obstacles of various sizes to accommodate the dogs who are also of various sizes.

   The next day, I left Cofradía at 6:30am to make sure I had plenty of time to find a place to park and then catch a taxi to the Jardín.

The first order of the day was a 3K race. You could race with any breed of dog that you liked, and after the race, the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners were presented with ceramic statues of the Colima Dog.

And then photos were taken of all the participants, human and canine…It was certainly a job trying to get all the dogs to pose at the same time…..

After everyone had an hour to rest and have some breakfast, the xolos were exhibited and judged according to their behavior and body type. It was amazing to me, how they could hold a pose…

And then they all posed for a final group photo…

Getting ready….

And –  group photo time!

So this concludes my experience at the Internation Festival of the Xolo.

Until next time, you all have yourselves a great week!   ¡Adiós!

There have been a few celebrations one after another recently, so first I will focus on the most recent, well-known festivities – Halloween and Día de los Muertos. Yes, Halloween is celebrated here, with costumes appearing in stores way before Halloween (as a matter of fact, Christmas merchandise – such as artificial trees and decorations – have also appeared way before Halloween, too), but it is not as important as the Day of the Dead.

On the evening of October 31st. several young children came to my gate. Instead of ringing the doorbell, they were chanting something out loud, but I couldn’t quite understand the words. Candy was handed out, and a while later some older children appeared. It seems that witch costumes with pointy hats are very popular, at least for this year.

Then that was the end of it. I had bought 4 bags of candy, and only used maybe one bag, so a few days later, I donated the remainder to Project Amigo to be used during the Christmas Fiesta week.

The Day of the Dead was celebrated on November 2nd. Ahead of that date, the cemetery was cleaned up. During the actual day, people come to the cemetery, a mass is held there and people put wreaths and the deceased’s favorite food or drink on the graves. I was unable to attend the ceremony in Cofradía, as I had to help out a friend, but I was able to celebrate in Colima that night. There is a narrative and photos of the Cofradía celebration from last year in my blog posts for November 2016 if you wish to see photos and read about it.

Currently, there are 6 nursing students and a nursing instructor from Canada at the University of Colima participating in an exchange program. My friend Magda and I went with them and some of the Mexican nursing students to Colima, where the Día de los Muertos was being celebrated at a local cemetery and sponsored by the local funeral home.

 

There was singing outside of the funeral home and bottles of water were handed out. There was a couple dressed as skeletons and many people were taking photos with them. Beyond that was the cemetery.

Also inside the cemetery was a stage, where we were entertained by singing and traditional dancers, plus a live mariachi band providing the music.

Altar of Griselda Alvarez – former mayor of Colima and the only female mayor of Colima

 

More altars

A very fancy hearse. I was really impressed with the art work.

Two women in the cemetery dressed as La Catrina

The stage in the cemetery

Azteca dancers

The Old Man’s Dance

 

All in all, it was a night full of activity and I am sure the Canadians were very pleased to have been there at this time of year and I was also very happy to accompany them.