When people hear San Antonio, Texas they probably think of two things: The Riverwalk & the Alamo. Yeah these things are important but what you should really think of when you hear my hometown is Fiesta.
Fiesta is this huge celebration that takes place every year to honor and remember the Alamo and the Battle of San Jacinto. In 1891 when the whole hoopla first officially began, it was nothing more than a parade called the Battle of Flowers. But since then, it's grown exponentially. It's now 10 days of beer-drinking, food-tasting, flower crowns, cascarones, and very pretty papel picado.
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| papel picado: literally means pierced paper: traditional way of decorating for celebrations and used as art. |
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| cascarones: egg shells filled with confetti meant to be broken on people's heads. |
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| fiesta flower crowns: made from tissue paper and totally awesome. Via: Events That Sparkle |
As the main event, the Battle of Flowers is still the largest parade within Fiesta. It is the only parade in the nation that is planned and directed entirely by women volunteers. This parade has become such a huge part of our lives that schools and most businesses close, treating the day as a holiday.
Over the years they've added two other parades to the lineup: The Texas Cavaliers River Parade, which you guessed it - takes place on the Riverwalk.
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| Via: Stone Creek Homes |
And The Flambeau Parade which is the nation's largest illuminated night parade. My dad and my brother have walked the route the last three years with the Boy Scouts.
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| Via: San Antonio Magazine |
Along with these parades there are over 100 official Fiesta events and even more unofficial events that take place within the city. It's estimated that three million people take part in the various festivities and that the city rakes in about 280 million dollars.
It has also become a tradition to collect various Fiesta medals and pins. These medals are updated every year and sold to people who want to wear or collect them.
If you're interested in seeing what this Fiesta thing is all about you can watch from home! Just go to KSAT.com to watch the parades live!
The Battle of Flowers will take place on Friday around 12:30pm CST.
The Flambeau Parade will take place on Saturday around 6:30pm CST.
