Activities

The first annual vegan festival was held on Saturday, September 29, 2018 in the San Antonio plaza in Lake Chapala. I had seen many posters advertising it all over Ajijic and also a page and a half article about it in the Guadalajara Reporter. Tents Above is a photo of the outside of the tents..I decided to go, not expecting much. I have been to countless events in this area that turned out to be...

Combate de Flores, means war of the flowers, it is held each year in Ajijic, Lake Chapala Mexico. It is actually the opposite of war. It is a mating ritual, about love. It started when Mexicans all over the country got rid of their guns after the War. It was the exchange of guns for flowers. Couple dancing Plazas in towns of all sizes  started a tradition of using flowers as a way for young men to...

The children's (and adults) games are held every year on the fifteenth of September in the Ajijic Plaza. Other events happen after the games. A mariachi band played this year and the reading of the Grito. Then more music and dancing. I wasn't able to stay through all of the events but I saw the games. Two young girls The red, green, and white colors of the Mexican flag were seen all over town and...

The Mexican Independence Day parade was held on September 16th, 2018. It started on Revolution street and went through town, to six corners and back to the plaza. As usual, most of the participants in this parade are school children.  Thousands of school children all over Mexico get out with their teachers and parents to march. They are dressed in their school uniforms. They sometimes do intricate...

The Rebozo Fashion Show was held in the Ajijic Plaza the evening of September 9th, 2018.  I always enjoy seeing the women in their beautiful rebozos. In English, rebozo means shawl. So this event is to celebrate the shawls. And the women. It was supposed to start at six in the evening but they were on Mexican time, meaning an hour and a half later. In the meantime, I walked around the plaza taking photos....

Once again as every year and by far the most popular event, this Saturday, September 8, 2018, was the Globos traditional regatta. It launched off paper mache balloons and the beginning of the ten day Mexican Independence celebrations. The crowds that attends this wonderful tradition grows year by year, as do the size of the balloons. This year's Access Lake Chapala balloon was over 13 meters long. The...

Palm Sunday was on March 25th this year. I went to the same celebration last year and wrote about it then. But every year it is a bit different. It is also called Verbena Sunday. Verbena means a dance/celebration, or agricultural event. It is actually a fund raising event to pay for the Passion Play. Sign This event had small and large stands set up all around the Ajijic Plaza with signs above Palm...

The Feria de la Capirotada, also called the Spring Festival, was held again this year at the malecon in Ajijic. Capirotada is only made during the Lenten season. Lent this year is February 14th through March 29th. But the Capirotada is especially popular and served in many places on Good Friday, March 30th. The Entrance There is no fee for this event. It is held in the afternoon through the evening...

This is a very special year for the Ajijic Chili Cook-Off. It is the 40th year. It started out very small at the Old Posada Restaurant which is next to the malecon. At that time the restaurant was owned by the Eager family. Morley Eager was so into it that he hired an elephant and headed the parade by riding on it. Unfortunately, he is no longer alive but his spirit lives on. Paper Mache...

The Fat Tuesday parade is the biggest parade here.  Also known as the Mardi Gras parade, famous throughout the world as an occasion for wild abandon. In New Orleans, they throw beads. Here, they throw flour. Flour is much less expensive than beaded necklaces and far more fun. Meaning that flour is a real mess. After the parade, all along the parade route, it looks like there was a snow storm. And what a...