Have you ever wondered what the national sport is in Mexico? If someone had asked me before, I wouldn’t have guessed that it was a combination of rodeo and horseback riding called charréria. Unlike bullfights, no animals are killed, but they are not treated the best either. There are several teams that have to demonstrate different skills, such as lassoing an animal by its hind legs while running.
This sport has its roots in the states of Jalisco and Hidalgo. The event is always well attended and there is always a great atmosphere as traditional Mexican bands accompany the game.
This month, the championship for the 481st anniversary of the city of Guadalajara was held, where the best “charros” in Guadalajara met. A special part of the entire tour was the Charreada Universitaria. Many young people from universities came here to party and drink. It’s quite normal to see people pouring tequila into their mouths straight from the bottle. Well, we had no idea what would happen after the end of the championship.
When the show ended, the organizers started calling the girls to the ring where they had to sign something on paper. When they were ready, the door opened and a small bull with horns ran into the ring. Delighted and slightly tipsy girls simply started running away from him. After a while, the bull hit one of the girls and ran over her, but thankfully, she got up and left the ring on her own. However, this didn’t deter the other girls, who kept waving at the bull to run toward them. No wonder, the prize was a quality bottle of tequila that only the bravest of them could get.
After the girls, guys started entering the ring. Same rules, but this time with a bigger bull. However, there were more people in the ring than there should have been, so instead of the bull chasing the guys, the guys started running after the scared bull.
As weird and crazy as it sounds, I swear I’m not making this up and it’s just another part of the tradition. At around midnight, all the people from the venue together with the band rushed into the ring and the after-party started.
