Gauchos

This past week we went to the Pampas in the ranch, Cina Cina, to experience the gaucho culture and traditions.  ALthough it was very hot, we were able to relax by the pool for a while until we went into the main hall to have lunch and watch traditional  dances of he gauchos.  It was interesting to know that dances can be done with a man and a woman, or just a man, and they used to have competitions with these dances.  Here is a picture from my table of the gauchos dancing!

My favorite part of the lunch was when the invited the audience to get up and dance in the area in front of the stage.  Of course, this is another gaucho tradition, when they used to have lunches and after have some form of entertainment afterward.  After we danced, there was a show of the horses and the indigenous people.  It was incredible to see how controlled the horses were and to see the relationship between the man and the horse.  Here is a picture of one of the moves we got to see!

After seeing this, we were able to see gauchos use their horses to obtain a ring from a lune suspended in the air.  Traditionally, gauchos would ride their horses about 150 yards away from the line and their objective was to obtain the ring on the line.  If the man was able to get the ring, he would be able to ask for a young maid's hand in marriage.  If she accepted, she would kiss the gaucho.  If she did not accept, she would kiss the horse.  Luckily, they did this for the audience and I was able to get a ring and a kiss from a gaucho!