Joined another parade.......

  

Some parades remind me of home - not the really big ones.  We certainly don't have those in Clermont.  Just the small ones - and only in one aspect. 


At home, participants in a parade line up on the street, and family and onlookers gather on the footpath.  As the parade moves off, so does the group of onlookers. Two groups moving together.


This week we stumbled onto another parade gathering at San Blas, where celebrations were well underway.  Crowds were enjoying liquid refreshments and traditional food - including guinea pig.  Still avoiding that one.

The religious statue was prepared and ready, and the youths selected to carry both the statue and the stand on which it is placed during rest periods, were being fed ready for the event .  (Young boys carry the stand and older youths carry the statue - both being very heavy.)

As the band started up, fireworks blasted into the sky and the statue moved off.  Many of the crowd moved along the narrow street following it. 

After one block, the statue is placed on the frame, giving the carriers a well deserved rest.  One of the group is designated to carry the case of liquid refreshments - big bottles of beer shared during rest periods.  Amazingly these parades just take over the streets and traffic just has to wait!!

This is the frame (stand) carried by the younger boys.

Smoke from the fireworks - parade ready to move off again.

We joined the group and followed the parade for a few blocks ...