Monday, December 8, 2008

The “Bull Dance”

When we got back to the RV Park today there was a large family gathering going on in the property next door. The music was loud (so what else is new here in Mexico?) and I went over and peeked through the hedge.

Ten or fifteen couples were dancing around in a large circle. The women were carrying “parcels” in the form of folded blankets or something similar either in their arms or on their heads while the men were carrying bright cloths. In the centre of  the circle was a man wearing a paper mache bulls’ head. The men were all waving their cloths around to attract the “bull’s” attention. Every once in a while the “bull” would charge one of the couples and the man would jump in front to “fight” the “bull” with his cloth “cape”, protecting the woman. There was much laughter accompanying each charge.

I know many of my female Canadian friends are cringing at the overt sexism of this dance but it was very “Mexican” and everyone was having a lot of fun.

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