Hipicas is the roving horse show that comes to most of the major and minor cities throughout the year in Nicaragua. It is a reason for a town to have a big party, and although it comes with pickpockets and thieves from the big cities and plenty of beer, it is also a great time to watch people, get dressed up, and see some amazing animals!
Today was Hipica in Masatepe and it did not disappoint! The idea is to watch a parade of big, beautiful, well-groomed horses sidestep and dance their way through the city. You could feel the anticipation in the town on the days leading up- whitewashing of the curbs of the parade route, stores closing early, and the Tona (local beer) entourage coming down our street last night complete with a large mechanical bull and scantily clad dancing women.
The rumor was that it started at two, so at three we went to find our place on the curb a few blocks down. We waited about another hour before we saw the beginnings of the parade. During that time we were entertained by people dressed up in their best western clothes, many of them strutting through the parade route hoping that others would see them in their finest.
At the same time that we were watching, we were definitely also being watched. We tend to stand out and this was no exception. At one point a rather gregarious drunk man was about to walk past us, then caught Stephen out of the corner of his eye and yelled, “Chele!” (This is the polite way to say “white boy”.) He welcomed us to his country, and spent the next few minutes talking very loudly at us.
The noise is a main part of every Nicaraguan celebration we have been a part of; at one end of the block are six speakers playing music, and in intervening locations there were two mariachi bands playing at full volume, horses are coming through, and people are talking loudly. I usually come away from any event- church or party with a bit of a void in my ears.
These horses really are amazing! They are huge Clydesdale types (different Spanish breeds), and they are such a contrast to the boney work horses that we see daily pass in front of our window. And in a celebration of the well-dressed and beautiful horses, you also see the poor old woman collecting empty beer cans in order to make a little money.
As the parade continued, storm clouds were building in the East. It went from a few big drops, to a total downpour in a few minutes. The rain equals the playing field between the wealthy and the poor. We grabbed our plastic chairs, put them on our heads and made our way back to our house, glad we had experienced a bit more of Masatepe!
You are SUCH a great writer, Natalie! I can literally visualize the colors, the music, the noise, the horses, the colorful people and their costumes – prancing like peacocks down the lane! What a great experience, loud as it was! I just love you guys! Praying for your ears to normalize too! Hahahaha!!
thank you, friend!