Hola Primavera! (Mexican style)

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The kids of Sahuayo were out on the streets today to welcome Springtime. I remembered my Spanish teacher telling me about it in a lesson several weeks ago and one of my students told me on Friday she wouldn't be in class becuse she was going to watch her neice in the parade so I was very excited. I got to school and Colin had already been ahead of me and asked if we could leave lessons for a few minutes to take some pictures. I went to check with the principal that I was allowed to go, only to see Kim walking out with her students already! I chased after them and we got to the parade on the next street which had only just started. We were squealing at the cutesness straight away. The parade is only for the youngest school children and right at the front were kids of no more than three, dressed in fluffy bunny costumes and sitting in plastic cars decked out with flowers and pushed by adults, many of whom were also bunnies! They were follwed by some slightly older bunny girls, riding on pink plastic scooters streaming balloons behind them.
The next group approached and just as I commented that they looked like they'd walked out of Disney's Aladdin 'Prince Ali' blared out of the loud speakers, follwed by Arabic music and the kids started dancing. The adults patiently poked and pushed them in the right directin and the little girls shimied around while the boys waved their sabers.
I soon relaised each group was a different school or kindergarten or nursery of something. Following the arabic dancers came a row of little girls looking like French aristocrats who'd just stumbled out of a masked ball. They had huge hoop skirts, puffy grey wigs and sparling masks. They were followed by a group all in red who started to dance in a circle and following them were Mexican dancers and a group of girls lost from the Rio carnival or something!
Then came some more dinky ones all dressed as fairies and animals. Now if you've ever thought a baby dressed as a teddy is cute imagine him multiplied by twenty with his lion, tiger, dog, and donkey friends!
The parade continued and we got excited as we spied each new group approaching. A large group of chickens strutted past, a group of hawaiin hula girls shimmied past, followed by a group of reen fairies and grey elephants walking hand in hand!
More little ones came past, frequently attached to each other and the teachers by ropes and hula hoops! The costumes were crazy. There were lots of fairies and butterflies, cuddly little tigers and leopards, quite a few Snow Whites and Cinderellas and the odd Spiderman. (Not quite sure how they all relate to Spring!)
Next came chldren being whelled in carts bedecked with ballons and paper flowrrs. I saw a werewolf strut past, a a shepard followed by sevral sheep. Kim decided she had to be part of it and as the paade paused again she ran in between the kids for a picture. The expression on the face of one little rabbit was priceless... and what are YOU doing in OUR parade?
I saw a boy dressed as a lobster and a group of rabbits all holding carrots. Since the carrots were unpeeled and still with the green stalks attached I'm not sure they were meant to eat them, but they were all chewing on the ends anyway! A little group of superheroes passed us and then we saw a crazy underwater world approaching.
The adults were all holding large octopuses on stcks and the children followed along. Several kids were fish, with complete fish around them (I spied Nemo and Dorie!) Lots of little girls were glitterly baby octopuses and shiny gold starfish.
Then came another crowd of little animals.... the most hilarious sight was two little bunnies who stopped on in front of the other. The one behind started licking the others ear!
More kids in carts wheeled past and then a whole crowd of little green fairies and brown pixies came past. I saw a grop of nursery children dressed as farm animals the teachers holding them together with a carboard fence!
Close behind came native americans. Music blared out on a loud speaker and a car pulled a trailer where a complete scene had been set up. A tepee stood beside a river with a canoe in it while three little braves waved from inside.
We wondered what the time was and guessed we'd probably been a lot longer than a few minutes. We briefly entertained the idea of returning to school but next came a car pulling a complete model house, a little girl granny with a grey wig peered out of the window, tilting her specatcles to see us better.
Another float followed carrying several replica Jack Sparrows who waved and threw chocolate coins into the crowd. As the next float approached I realised there was no way I was running back to school as the parade was getting bigger and more impressive. The new float bore many little flowers and fairies and beetles, and had a water fountain in the middle... an actual water fountain,with running water!
The next float was covered in model palm trees while mermaids waved from where they were sititng with fish and crocodiles and the sound of 'Under the Sea' filled the street.
Realising that our lessons back at school were officially over we said goodbye to Kim's students and ran back to school. The principal loooked at us but didn't tell us off... mainly because Kim and I were still jumping up and down and squealing over the cuteness of it all. We grabbed out things and left, promising to work in the afternoon and be much more dedicated to our job as long as no more cuddly animals strolled past. (I honestly do work very hard every day, parade days are the only exception!) We left the school and decided to go straight back to the parade.
I was glad we did as we arrived in time to see Pegasus going past. A tiny little boy was sitting on top of a real horse, with huge carboard wings attached. He was closely follwed by a car bearing the partheon. As Disney's Hercules music blared out the gods of Olympus glided past, decked out in gold and sitting on white clouds with harps. Behind them came some soldiers in a chariot (well a cardboard carriot on a trailer) The Greeks were followed by more tiny tots all dressed as little bugs.
It was so cute. Even people watching were carrying babies and very small children dressed up to match the parade. I saw one of my students and waved then as the parade drew to a close ran home to get to the market. It was difficult getting back home as the streets were swamped with people. I made it to the market and every so often I'd turned around to see a tiger prowling along by the fruit stalls or a little fairy peeping out from amongst the vegetables.
It is without doubt the cutest thing I've ever seen.

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Comments

[Dawn Smallwood]

Wow!
Colourful and amazing costumes! The kids look so cute!!! Dawn

[JintysJourneys]

Well they certainly can dress up!
I showed the photos to my little ones at school and they thought the children were very 'cool'. A real pick me up to see those happy faces. Keep the blogs coming. Looking forward to the next history bit from your holiday down south.