Healthy Schools Peace Corps Volunteer in Guatemala since February 2013
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Drunk Horse Races in Todos Santos, Huehuetenango for All Saints Day
November 1st is a big holiday in Guatemala. It is called Día de Todos Santos (All Saints Day) and it is celebrated by eating Fiambre, visiting cemeteries and remembering deceased relatives. Last year I went to the giant kite festival in Sumpongo, Sacatepéquez. This year I traveled to the little village of Todos Santos Cuchumatán in the department of Huehuetenango. They are known for their traditional traje (pronounced traw-hey) that both men and women still wear and their unique All Saints Day tradition: drunk horse races. To be clear the men riding the horses are drunk, not the horses themselves.
The idea is that the men drink the whole night before and then ride the horses the whole next day drunk. The men and horses did rotate throughout the day. I have heard many different "reasons" behind this custom. Besides celebrating All Saints Day the races are to symbolize the beginning of the harvest. In one of the races a couple of chickens are sacrificed by the men by swinging the chickens around by their necks as they ride.
The whole "race track" was probably only about a quarter mile long. The people who were regulating the races blew their whistles and off the horses went. There would be a short break at the other end, we would hear more whistles and back they would come. I don't think that they picked a winner of the race, we tried speculating on what exactly the men were trying to do and decided on the factors that we would judge them on: fastest time in each race, drunkenness (the more the better), general style points (shouting as they pass by, no hands, etc), amount of time racing, and of course just staying on the horse. We did see three men fall off their horses. We saw all of them get up and walk away, but it all still seemed very dangerous.
It mainly seemed like general drunken debauchery to me. As a rule of thumb I stay as far away from bolos (drunk men) here in Guatemala as I can. However here the streets were full of them. Drinking and dancing and walking down the streets. If there is an open container law here in Guatemala it certainly isn't enforced.
To really get a feel for the races check out my short video:
The whole town, event, and people were so colorful and this was so unlike anything that I had ever seen before that I took over 500 photos over the weekend. I tried my best to weed them down a bit.
"Welcome to the horse races"
There was drinking at all times: both on and off the horse
The little town was so beautiful
I am used to seeing women in traje so it was cool to see all the men wearing it.
They even looked pretty from behind
Young boys in traje típico watching the races
Standing watching on the sidelines we periodically got
hit by flying mud
But swinging chickens around by their necks? Where's the GuateSPCA? And what about the horses? Can you tell if they trade off with fresh horses every few laps? Let me guess--they ride the same horses all day. Not so much fun for them.
How long did you spend actually watching the event? Seems like after about 30 minutes and a few splotches of mud-in-the-face you would be ready to move on--to watching the bolos. Must be the Guatemalan version of Boston's St. Patrick's Day Parade in Southie.
Animal cruelty is not a big concern in this country…I am me host dog's favorite person because I occasionally give it food and I don't kick it. There were a lot of horses around so they actually did get a break.
I pretty much watched the event from 8-4 with some time outs for coffee and hot chocolate breaks, lunch, and a little shopping. It was pretty cold and at times rainy so these little breaks were necessary. It took us a long time to get there (about 4 hours from my house) so we felt like we really needed to spend a good chunk of time watching the races (and the bolos).
As usual, love the photos. So great to see the traditional clothing-- and hats! If I were drunk, I think horse racing would be one of the last things I'd want to do. On the other hand, if I were planning to be a jockey and do some racing, I'd probably need a few drinks first. Think I'll stick with walking and biking.
Colorful indeed.
ReplyDeleteBut swinging chickens around by their necks? Where's the GuateSPCA? And what about the horses? Can you tell if they trade off with fresh horses every few laps? Let me guess--they ride the same horses all day. Not so much fun for them.
How long did you spend actually watching the event? Seems like after about 30 minutes and a few splotches of mud-in-the-face you would be ready to move on--to watching the bolos. Must be the Guatemalan version of Boston's St. Patrick's Day Parade in Southie.
Animal cruelty is not a big concern in this country…I am me host dog's favorite person because I occasionally give it food and I don't kick it. There were a lot of horses around so they actually did get a break.
ReplyDeleteI pretty much watched the event from 8-4 with some time outs for coffee and hot chocolate breaks, lunch, and a little shopping. It was pretty cold and at times rainy so these little breaks were necessary. It took us a long time to get there (about 4 hours from my house) so we felt like we really needed to spend a good chunk of time watching the races (and the bolos).
As usual, love the photos. So great to see the traditional clothing-- and hats! If I were drunk, I think horse racing would be one of the last things I'd want to do. On the other hand, if I were planning to be a jockey and do some racing, I'd probably need a few drinks first. Think I'll stick with walking and biking.
ReplyDelete