The procession to kick of the season of processions in San Miguel de Allende took place today. All month long there will be processions and parades (two very different things) and fiestas honoring — well, gosh, you name it.

Today’s “resena” was a preview of what is to come, and if the weather doesn’t cool down what is to come is some very overheated dancers. The Resena began as Calzada de la Extacion and came straight up the fairly steep (especially if you are dancing up the street) Calle Canal and into Centro.

You can lead a bull to slaughter, but you can’t make him like it:

This procession is lead by a bull, which on Aug. 29 will be become, ribs, beef, barbecue of all sorts for the participants in the various celebrations.

To say the bull “lead” isn’t very accurate. As is tradition, this fellow is about as recalcitrant as you would be, knowing you too are on the menu. So, he’s pretty much pulled up the street — bucking and leaping and dodging the cowboys on the ends of several taut ropes.

Next follows a very gentle donkey and the statue of Saint Michael, because an awful lot of this is about San Miguel’s namesake:

The tribes soon follow, dancing to the pounding rhythms of bass drums:

 

Next up were the … oh wait … one of the best part of San Miguel parades and processions is the adorable kids. These two got well behind their elders when something on the sidewalk distracted them. Their expressions are priceless. Don’t you agree?

And, yes, the back of the processions was taken up by the array of mojigangas, the towering, dancing, walking, posing  Puppets often found around the Jardin Principal.

The next few weeks promise to be filled with surprises, unexpected celebrations — and that is some of the magic of San Miguel.

And, finally, a father-son outing: