Semana Criolla, Day One

El sol estuvo muy fuerte as it beat down on my red nose and neck and showed all of its teeth in a smile that was wide and bright and unencumbered by clouds or breezes or shade trees of any type as it devoured Joy’s and my love of summer and replaced it with contempt for South American events that start an hour late while the crowd sits baking in the midday sun with no escape from the incessant loud chants of “churros… helados… pops…” from the vendors selling treats, ice cream, and popcorn while they shuffle through the narrow rows and force the same crowd to stand to make way and to grumble because it’s too damn hot to eat even ice cream unless it comes with a gallon of agua mineral – sin gas, of course.

It was Sunday April 1^st, 2012, the beginning of Semana Santa (Easter Week) and, in Uruguay, the start of Semana Criolla, an event they have held for the last 86 years as a celebration of the gaucho culture by inviting them to Prado, Montevideo from rural Uruguay, Argentina, and Brazil.  These gauchos – like cowboys of the States and vaqueros of other countries – work on ranches and farms and enjoy competing in rodeos.  So they all gather during Semana Criolla for a week of riding bucking horses and competing in other gaucho events that I can’t explain right now because all the information I’ve found on this, besides being vague, is written solely in Spanish – a language que me cuesta entender. 

But fear not, because we’re headed back a few more times until I do understand what happens at Semana Criolla – whether or not I ever understand this lovely language.

Sunday’s show, once it finally got started, consisted of a grand entry and jineteadas, the aforementioned bucking horse riding.  And I do mean riding, not falling off.  I was absolutely blown away by how handy and sticky the guys were – gaucho after gaucho – ten, twenty, thirty, and then forty-some-odd gauchos, and none of them getting shit-canned or bucked off without good reason, you know, like when a horse flipped over backwards, or something.  From the blindfold’s removal off the first roan bronc, I was unable to contain my whoops and hollers as I shook with excitement and likely annoyed the nearby locals much more than the toe-stomping churro vendors.  And I’ve seen a rodeo or two.  These guys were fantastic!

But before the broncs started bucking, there was a great grand entry, led by the flags of the represented countries and including all the gauchos present – mounted and/or walking – and kids, and ponies.  There were introductions made and national anthems played, and then everyone exited the arena as the first three broncs were brought in.

 

While jineteada – a national sport in Uruguay since 2006 – can definitely be described as bucking horse riding, its similarities with modern North American saddle-bronc riding end with: a bucking horse, a cowboy/gaucho, and a saddle.

Rather than loading the horses into bucking chutes, the broncs are led (or dragged) into the arena, which is covered in grass rather than dirt (think Pendleton, but don’t think too hard because there is no beer garden in Prado), and tied to snubbing-posts where they are blindfolded and saddled by a group of four or five gauchos – including the eventual rider (I’m not sure yet if he has a distinct title), and a version of a “chute boss” who makes sure the horses are standing correctly rather than laying, squatting, or flipping over backwards and killing somebody.  There were three such snubbing-posts in this arena and the horse were bucked (turned loose by untying and removing the blindfold) one at a time.  After each rider finishes his ride, usually concluded by one of the pickup men reaching over and grabbing the rider around his chest and armpits and pulling him off of the bucking horse, the horse is hazed out of the arena while another bronc is led in and tied to the vacant post.  Then the next rider is turned loose: 1, 2, 3… 1,2,3… and on and on and on.

The saddles they are using have distinctively flat pommels and cantles and are covered with a very thick hair-on wool pad.  The saddles have only one cinch, and their riggings are set so far back that the cinch almost reaches the center of the horses’ stomachs (the riggings of the riding saddles are also this way, so it’s not just for the bucking horses).  The riders hang on with one hand and two flat reins that appear to be either wrapped around the horses’ bottom jaws or fastened to something that is (they wouldn’t let me into the arena in my shorts and flip-flops to investigate further), and that has the effect of mostly keeping the broncs’ heads tucked deeply between their front legs, but that may also be causing them to want to rear and/or flip, I’m not sure.

The riders themselves don’t wear chaps (if you’re part of my new family, please pronounce this as “shaps” so that we can still be friends), and there is likely no need for them given the thick wool pads they are sitting on, but some of the helpers have on a wide, single-legged side-chap that I’ve never seen before and whose purpose I can’t figure out.  In fact, most of the things we saw on this first day are new to me so I’m anxious to try and talk with some of the gauchos to learn more.  The riders also don’t have facones, o cuchillos gauchos (gauchos’ knives), tucked into the backs of their belts, as most of the helpers do, but they do wave a colored scarf of some sort with their free hands while riding.  Again, I’m not sure why, yet.  All the gauchos competing did have on spurs, most with very large rowels, and they all wore hats.  And when not competing or working, it appears that common articles of gaucho “casual wear” include slip-on loafers and berets.

The horses, both riding and bucking, all seem to be very healthy and well-built, as opposed to some of the specimens we have seen in other countries during this trip, and were quite colorful.  Almost all of the riding horses had their tails tied up; while almost all of the bucking horses had their tails cut short – two more questions I need to translate.

And the horses really bucked.  And the gauchos really put it on ‘em.  And the redhead with the red nose and red neck really cheered, loudly.  And we are very excited to see what’s in store at Semana Criolla during the rest of Semana Santa.  Although I do hope that the gauchos don’t laugh at me too much when I try to ask my gringo questions in my gringo Spanish…

…and I really hope that the gauchos I ask don’t speak Portuguese.