August is a big holiday month in Granada. There are a lot of festivities. So, around the 5th or 6th of the month, the town begins to flood with people, who don’t leave until around the 18th. This extreme influx of people combined with some of the most intense heat we have had since we’ve been down here and massive amounts of alcohol results in some pretty crazy partying, all of which begins with the Tope de Toros or Running of the Bulls. Having been to the running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain, I had some idea of what to expect from this event. However, only two of my expectations were in line with reality—that is, there were bulls and A LOT of drinking. Other than that, the two events have very little in common. In Spain, the streets are lined with guard rails and police hours before the event begins. Those who wish to run with the bulls in Spain have to enter the race area from a specific point and must be inside the rails at least an hour or so in advance. They also have to show proof of their age (kids and babies are not allowed), and cars a blocked from driving anywhere near the event. The police ensure the strict enforcement of these rules. The bulls are let loose right on time, and the only people who get hurt are those who are drunk enough to convince themselves that it is a good idea to back the bulls into corners and then provoke the massive, horned-beasts with sticks.
This is not the case in Granada. Here, anything goes. In place of guard rails, for every bull, we get two guys (generally with a combined total weight of $2.50) with ropes tied to the horns of the beasts (as if this will somehow control the bulls rather than just piss them off). Also, the police presence is about ¼ of that in Spain, and the police who are there come more to enjoy the festivities than to break up fights or enforce safety measures. Cars are free to drive whenever and wherever they want. Also, (in true Nica style) even though everyone asked will gladly announce the event start time with confidence, nobody really knows when the festivities will begin, and inevitably it is well after the time everyone expected. Thus, people literally fill the streets and wait. They bring their kids and babies and begin drinking in the scorching heat at midday and continue drinking until the bulls finally begin running around 4 p.m.—just when the people have finally let down their guard. While this all probably sounds rather dangerous and reckless, it actually makes for some rather good watching. People end up literally running everywhere; climbing trees, windows, and doors; and ducking into the doors of businesses whenever they get the chance. Meanwhile, the two yahoos with the ropes try with all their might to control the bull. Adding to the chaos are the men and children who are riding horses in the streets – horses that didn’t exactly sign up to run with the bulls.
It was within this atmosphere that we found ourselves mid-afternoon on August 10 at a friend’s Internet café right near where the running started. Without even realizing it, we two were “running from the bulls”. It was quite the experience.
The very next weekend, Granada celebrated La Carnaval and El Hipico. La Carnaval
took place Saturday the 16th and was perhaps my favorite of all three holidays. The main attraction of the celebration was a very lengthy and extravagant parade. The march consisted of probably about 100 high school drum lines, which were truly the highlight of the parade. All of the bands had been practicing for months in preparation for the event, and their sweat and tears were very evident in the precision of their movements. Every drumline had about 30-50 teenagers, half of whom were boys and the other half of whom were girls. The boys were dressed in matching garb and were banging their drums with deafening force, all the while performing some amazing acrobatics with the drum sticks. And, in front of them, the girls danced a well-choreographed and precise routine in their matching high-heeled boots, short skirts, and midriff shirts. This is all topped off with massive amounts of sequence and glitter (yes, the guys wear glitter). While I don’t like the obvious gender segregation and over-sexualization of the girls, the bands are quite the sight. There were also several beer floats from the only two types of beer available here in Nicaragua—Tona and Victoria as well as a Tona Queen and a Miss Carnaval Queen. My favorite float, though, was the one that consisted of an elaborate show of angels and fire-breathing demons. The whole event was all very beautiful and elaborate, though a bit disorganized. In true Nica style, sometimes 20-30 minutes would pass between floats. Also, we were told the parade would start at 2 p.m., and in matching with the Tope de Toros, it didn’t start until about 7 or 8 p.m. Being that we had learned a little from the previous weekend, we didn’t leave the house until about 4:30, but we were still left with little to do but drink for hours. Needless to say, we were pretty wiped out the next day for El Hipico (the horse
celebration), and since we had already seen an Hipico in another city (I have posted a picture from the Hipico we attended in Nandaime with our friend Fred from San Juan del Sur and an older women that we made friends with)(every city in Nicaragua has a Hipico on a different Sunday and all are pretty much the same – people come from around the country to show off their best horses, which often dance or prance about while their owners simply sit in the saddle drinking a beer or smoking a cigar), we weren’t that excited to pass the day in the scorching heat surrounded by hundreds of thousands of people and horses. But, my friend Nolvalina was going to be dancing on a float with some other friends of ours, who own a hair salon, and I wanted to see it. So, we went to watch the show at about 4 or 5 and commenced the long wait in about 100 degree heat with 100 percent humidity. Hours passed, and people began to get drunk. We witnessed several fights – some with chairs. And, two guys attempted 
to rob Patrick. But, he had his guard on, as one of our friend’s had been robbed while we were at the first Hipico we attended several weeks earlier. So, when a guy came up to distract him by starting a conversation and another one edged in close and started to unzip Patrick’s pocket, he immediately knew what was happening. He blocked the second guy and through a hard elbow at the man who was trying to distract him. The guy through himself on the ground rather dramatically and created quite the scene, but everyone knew what had happened. So, everyone went back to their business. And, then we waited some more; now with even more caution. After a while, most of our friends turned in for the night, but I was determined to see Nolvalina; so, we stayed. And, just when I thought the parade was over, as nobody had come by for about 30 minutes, two final floats started down the street where we were sitting – and the last of them was Nolvalina’s float. She had been dancing on her float for about 4 hours in the scorching heat but still looked happy and beautiful. I was very impressed. And, thus, we ended our weekend of drunken celebration. We went home and went to bed at 8 p.m. It had been a long week!
I will try to write more again soon. As you can see, I started this story back in August and am now just finishing it up in October. Yeah, yeah, I know that we really are not good at this blogging thing. But, we will try to get better. We are looking forward to seeing many of you when we come home in a month!
Melissa
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