Charro Days

 a celebration of the dashing Mexican gentlemen cowboys

For two weeks each February, Texas's Rio Grande Valley lights up in celebration of Mexican-American unity and culture.  The historic Charro Days Fiesta, which began in 1938, honors the friendship between Brownsville, a town at the southernmost point of the Texas Rio Grande Valley, and Matamoros, its sister city in Mexico.  The historic festival marks the continued cooperation between the twin Rio Grande cities which, although separated by national borders, are bound by shared traditions and culture.

The Charro Days Fiesta was originally born to "lift community spirits" during the difficult times of the Great Depression.  Inspired by Brownsville's unique location on the border with Mexico, the residents came together to plan a fiesta unlike anything else in the country.  "Horse-drawn, hand-made floats processed through downtown Brownsville in those early years, with marching bands from Mexico, soldiers from old Fort Brown, and children from area schools dressed as charros and chinas," writes the Charro Days committee. 

Over 80 years later, many of these traditions remain intact at the storied Charro Days Fiesta, which still begins with a Mexican grito, a joyous cry to mark the start of the celebration.  In years past, revelers could move across the Gateway International Bridge, which links Brownsville and Matamoros.  Today, the celebration still begins with a friendship ceremony called, "Hands Across the Bridge," in which the mayors of Brownsville and Matamoros both speak, exchange gifts, and affirm their long-standing friendship.

This year, the fiesta, which runs from February 22 to March 8, celebrates its 83rd anniversary and it has only grown since that first parade.  Now, the lineup of festivities draws thousands.  Costume balls, parades, carnivals, street dances, and fireworks are staples of the modern fiesta.

The celebration is named after the charro, a traditional Mexican horseman, and channels the jovial spirit of these original cowboys.  Many revelers still dress in the fashion of the festival's namesake charros, who wore ruffled shirts and silver accents.  Women will don the China Poblana, a colorful Mexican frock complete with elaborate embroidery and voluminous skirts.  ~Southern Living

The Charro Days Fiesta usually has about 50,000 attendees each year and includes the Sombrero Festival, as well as an illuminated parade and an international parade that goes down Elizabeth Street through Historic Downtown Brownsville across the border bridge and into Mexico.

The Sombrero Festival is a three-day street party in Washington Park that began in 1986 to enhance the spirit of Charro Days, and to expand the activities available to the general public.  It includes a jalapeno eating contest, a one-mile run/walk, a 5K run/walk, music, dancers, carnival rides, numerous food stands, and cooking contests.  Several rock stars, corrido singers, and Tejano music entertainers perform in this annual event.  The event not only provides families with entertainment, but it also gives away money to charitable organizations and to fund public facilities in Brownsville.  ~Wikipedia

SpaceX participated in the parade with a unique float that featured one of Starship's methane-fueled Raptor engines.  SpaceX employees appeared at the parade playing maracas on the float with giant STARBASE letters, similar to the sign in front of the rocket-ship factory at Boca Chica just outside of Brownsville.  The Raptor caught spectators curiosity and attention well before it was seen because it was releasing "smoke."  The float featured a screen that played a video of Starship flights as it cruised down Elizabeth Street. ~Tesmanian

I personally took a picture of the STARBASE float, but mine wasn't nearly as good as the picture above.  I also felt the information on Charro Days that I was reading on the 'net was far better than any information I could put together, so I simply did a cut-and-paste giving credit to the sources I used.  One thing not mentioned above, Elon Musk provided free carnival rides one day at Sombrero Days to all the children in attendance.

I hope you've enjoyed reading about Charro Days as much as we enjoyed being there!