Event: Combate Flores / Flower Fight Tradition Ajijic Mexico

Combate de Flores

Date/Time
Date(s) - 15/09/2024 - 16/09/2024

Description

Combate de Flores, translated, means flower fight. But actually it is the story of romance. The romance of the way Ajijic was in the past and how it is now. It is also about how the young people used to court each other. And as you may see in the photos below, some current courting going on. This event was a way for the young people to see each other. At the beginning of it the girls carried Zinnias and rode in Donkey drawn carts around the plaza and threw the flowers out to the crowd. Later on, the boys would walk in groups in one direction around the plaza and the girls would walk in the opposite direction.

Traditionally if a boy liked a girl he would give her a flower (at first it was a Zinnia and later on, through the years it became carnations and then gardenias). That was his way of letting her know that he liked her. He would sometimes whisper to his friends before they got to her that he was going to give her his flower. So the boys all knew what was going to happen.

Check out our blog post on the Combate Flores “Flower Fight” and see more pictures in our gallery to get a more detailed view.

See some videos we have taken over the years:

Ajijic Tradition "El Combate de Flores" Flower Fight 2017

Flower Fight “Combate de Flores” Ajijic Lake Chapala Mexico 2018

The 2019 Rebozo Parade at the Ajijic Mexico Plaza

Flower Fight “Combate de Flores” Ajijic 2019

The Ajijic Lake Chapala Mexico "Combate de Flores" Flower Fight 2022

But what if the girl refused his flower? Sad news for the boy. He then had to walk back to his group of friends and continue walking in the circle with them. One can only imagine how much those boys would have teased him if she refused the flower. If she accepted it, then he could walk with her. BUT NO TOUCHING… no holding hands. All they could do was walk beside each other.