San
Pancho Days - October Fest
By Elvia & Geno
Lamphiear
 San Pancho has been officially celebrating this yearly
religious and pagan festival for over forty years.
From September the 26 th to October the 4 th the town
dresses up and organizes the nine-day festival. This
colorful celebration is mostly religious and worships
San Francisco de Asis (the Patron of San Pancho) and
of course our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
 Every day the townsfolk gather
at the church at five o'clock in the morning and
sing songs for the different saints. The town is
divided up by neighborhoods and each neighborhood
is assigned a day in which to host the celebration.
Each day is different from one another depending
on the money that was collected in each respective
neighborhood and how well the neighborhood is organized.
El carro alegorico is a decorated motor vehicle with
a biblical scene. This beautiful piece of art starts
in the neighborhood of the day around sundown and proceeds
to the main street and then on to the church. People
walk behind the vehicle while others join along the
way singing with the band and shooting fireworks along
the way. Upon the arrival to the church the priest
comes out and welcomes the people and invites them
in for mass. After the mass everyone is waiting for
the arrival of "the bull".
"The bull" (for those of you have not yet had the
honor of this experience) is a large headdress worn
by a "runner". The headdress is in the shape of a bull
and is supported by the runners head with the runners
hands firmly on the front legs of the bull. The bull
is equipped with a gazillion skyrockets which are lit
and the runner runs through the crowd shooting the
skyrockets at whoever does not get out of the way.
You never know when the bull is going to arrive and
sometimes there may be more than one. Yes, every year
there are a few burns - but the locals (young & old)
eagerly await for the bull to show up each night of
the celebration.
People hang out by the plaza. There is food, beer,
games - and of course, lots of music.
There are rodeos that take place during this time
and the best rodeo is on October fourth.
 Folks from other towns surrounding San Pancho come
to show their support and acknowledge San Pancho's
celebration - especially on the fourth of October -
by parading through the town singing and carrying a
religious banner in the front. The people from San
Pancho love to welcome the visitors, feed them and
share in their celebration with them for a while.
On October 4 th at noon the
town prepares itself for one of the most important
events. the arrival of The
Torch.
A group of runners runs for twelve hours from a town
as far away as a three hour car ride while carrying
a lit torch. The torch represents the light of the
world (Jesus Christ) and they keep the torch lit the
whole time they are running. They come into town running
and they are welcomed with music, shouts, confetti
and a mass. After mass they all share a special meal
with friends and family.
 Fireworks are shooting all
day long, the town is full of the spirited celebration
and several parades take place along the day. One
of the parades features the charros (cowboys). There
are different competitions, the final rodeo, and
the final big decorated car. Indian dances are performed
as well as the final dance and then at midnight el
castillo. El castillo is a huge structure erected
in or near the plaza that is a spectacular fireworks
display. Then several more bulls - more fireworks
- more food and more music - and then another year
sadly is over.
This is really a great time to visit San Pancho to
enjoy the celebrations, the beach and a whole lot more.
Until next time.
Elvia & Geno Lamphiear
genolamhiear@hotmail.com
* This
information is provide by María Elvia
Garcia Palomera & Geno
Lamphier, owners of Calandria
Realty in San Francisco [San Pancho], Nayarit,
Mexico
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