Feast days or fiestas are ubiquitous in both Spain and Mexico, however the latter country demands three factors to thoroughly celebrate their holy days; a riot of colour, a cacophony of sound and last but not least complete, joyful chaos.

Last Saturday, January 24th was the feast of the Virgin of La Paz, who is the patron saint of Bucerias, a town sandwiched between La Cruz and Puerto Vallarta. On this day the entire fleet of local fishing boats and pangas are decorated for a parade and a blessing for good fortune in the coming year. The parade travels from the fishing co-operative in La Cruz across the bay to the playa of Bucerias, approximately three nautical miles).

We arrived at the dinghy dock around 10:00 am to see the fishermen and their extended families in a decorating frenzy (think Pasadena Rose Parade only with millions of balloons and miles of string). Some families selected two or three colours for their boats, incorporating palm branches and colour coordinated flowers, while others just went for the whole palette, plus any kind of ribbon and flower they could get their hands on. As the decorating proceeded, some lively soul set off rockets, which exploded loudly above our heads in roughly thirty-second intervals.

Anticipation and excitement filled the air along with the smell of cordite. A fifteen-man brass band dressed in brilliant white shirts, mandarin silk trousers and white pointy shoes tuned up their instruments on the quay. We walked the five-kilometers to Bucerias along the beach with our youthful friends Eric and Sarka from "Mariposa". It was quite a relief to be away from the noise for a while. But, person-in-charge-of-explosives had obviously hopped aboard the parade boat with the band, for not a beat was missed. As the procession neared Bucerias, the rocket explosions off the boat were answered by much louder ones on the beach right above the heads of the huge expectant crowd gathered there. At last the procession arrived and they broke ranks away from the lead boat that carried a red cloaked, be-thorned Jesus look alike.

Of course no public event is complete without a daring display of machismo and this one was no exception. Several self appointed officials on the beach tried to herd the wayward crowd away from the shoreline as one by one the elaborately decorated pangas were driven at max throttle through the surf, several meters up onto the beach. Where upon the fifteen or so passengers leaped, or were carried (if their whiplash was too severe) off the vessel, to join the appreciative crowd of onlookers. When it came time for the band to make its landing, they plus their huge brass instruments got special piggy backs to the sand, pointy white shoes staying nice and dry.

Another panga disgorged a band of gold and feather outfitted Aztecs who, Richard dryly commented were re-enacting contracting chicken pox from the Spanish missionaries.

Finally the central Jesus figure was reverently delivered with his accompanying angels. No sight of the blessed Virgin of La Paz whose feast day it was. But oh well can't think of everything. The noise was intense, the colours were louder and amid the chaos on the beach a miracle happened. Somehow a tiny girl had become separated from her mother. In the mad rush of the crowd out of the way, she was left in the path of one of the last pangas as it made its dash for the shore. Up onto the beach it flew, right at the little girl. The crowd hushed in shock as the mother burst from its center and lurched towards her child lying on the sand. Somehow the collision had been averted and though shaken up and tearful the little thing was unhurt.

All the excitement then moved like a beast on the rampage to the central plaza of Bucerias. At one point three large brass bands played different tunes all at the same time. Screaming teenagers were carried like sacrificial virgins to be thrown into the muddy fountain pool and the explosions continued willy-nilly into the afternoon. Families settled themselves on the ground in the shade and the smell of fresh tortillas, beans and tamales filled the thick air, while the invisible Virgin of La Paz blessed her town and gave a child back to its mother.