Britton and I had heard about the Festival and Oxen Parade that was to be held this past weekend. Apparently it was the 7th Annual Caravan and is meant to recreate and celebrate times past when the farmers would bring their sugarcane and other goods down from the mountains to the coast.
It was held on both Saturday and Sunday (Dec. 21-22) but we just went on Sunday. We thought we could catch the parade as it passed through the public plaza after the morning Farmers’ Market, but after waiting a while and not knowing when it would start, we decided to walk from the main plaza and go check out the whole festival down at Plaza de la Amistad across the street from the Econo grocery store.
Enjoying a piña colada and a pincho (grilled chicken on a skewer)
It was raining off and on, but it was a fun time. They had live music, Puerto Rican street food and lots of artisanal booths. We even talked with a beekeeper from Ciales who said he could help us start our beehive (in a designated space besides our house -ha)!
After walking around and ducking under the tents when it would rain, we were about to head back to the truck around 3pm when we saw the caravan making its way to downtown Rincón.
Britton and some white bueyes (oxen)
It’s pretty cool to see all these local traditions come to life in the present. The parade was somewhat similar to when we had the longhorn cows during the Greeley Stampede Parade, but the Stampede was much more organized and controlled. Here cars were still driving on the roads while the parade was in procession and just about everyone was drinking something. We saw people pouring whole cups of Bacardi and drinking them while they towed people with their tractor or oxen. It was also very loud, especially the vehicles in the rear of the parade with sirens and blaring music. Everyone seems to be in high spirits (literally) this time of year.
Overall, it was a great day out and we had a lot of fun. We were also happy to get back to our quiet little finca tucked up and away from all the loud celebrations going on for the holiday season. We hope you are all enjoying the holidays as well.
The sirens always piss me off. It’s a newish “tradition” that started not so long ago when somebody thought that letting the auto clubs join the parades would be a good thing. But all that they do is ruin them.
I went to Arroyo a few years ago and was delighted to see a small parade with “batuteras” and a high school marching band. But then I was horrified when I realized that you could barely hear them over the sound of the cars that followed them. Those kids probably practiced for months just to get their show ruined by some jackasses who thought that car alarms are an awesome artistic expression. Seriously, who the hell thinks that car alarms are a lovely thing to hear? They’re designed to be annoying on purpose!
The same thing happened in a parade that I went to in San Lorenzo. They had a float with live traditional music right in front of the cars with the sirens, but hey, at least the Harley Davidson club was able to drown some of the sirens by revving up their engines. It was a holiday parade, Mad Max style.
I am strongly considering starting a petition to stop that shit from happening in a future parade to see if it catches on. And I apologize for my language but there is no other way to describe the damage that they’re doing or how I feel about it.
Hey Adolfo,
It did seem sort of incongruous to have a parade dedicated to the ways of the past with a big tow truck at the end blasting reggaeton, ads and loud sirens or whatever. Even if they had a decibel limit it would be much more pleasant for everyone.
I don’t know if you relies this but Mary Jane & I are so appreciative of your blog it keeps us connected to Puerto Rico we miss it. Merry Christmas