Carnival and Humiliation

Usually Carnival is celebrated just before Lent. However, in Morelia things are a bit different. Carnival is celebrated at the end of Lent, i.e. on Easter Saturday and Sunday.

The tradition is called Torito (small bull) and has its origins in the Spanish conquest. In times of the Colony, the Spaniards organized bullfights. As an answer to this the indigenous people created their own version. In the centre is the "bull", which is actually an imitation carried by a man.

The freely decorated bull is accompanied by a musica de banda which plays popular folk songs. Gaudy dressed Maringüias are dancing around the bull. The maringüias are usually played by males who are dressed like women. It's one of the funniest carnivals I've ever seen.



Talking about cross-dressing... On Sunday evening, a cousin of Toño and his boyfriend took us to a local gay club. It was a nice place in the town centre which an illuminated dance-floor in the inner courtyard.

Everything was fine until the show started, which was hosted by two drag queens and consisted mainly of playback singing by the vertically challenged one and stand-up comedy by the ugly one.

Well this ugly one decided to choose me as the butt of most of her jokes (my italics). She even dragged me on stage for an interview on her couch (I could have worked a bit more on my Spanish). Towards the end of the endless hour she even referred to me as Gringo.

Well, I might engage in buggery and arms are my bread and butter, however IMHO, being a gringo is definitely on dark side. Clearly the climax of humiliation.