Norther abating, the weather turns to a dreary drizzle. Little food, little rest for the Texans. The Mexican troops again attempt to cut off the water supply. That night in the Alamo, a fandango is held. A lively party, it included Crockett on fiddle and the Scottish defender McGregor on bagpipes. They hold a contest to see who could be the loudest. This is the last bit of fun the Texans will have together. (Source)
A fandango is a type of dance, with Spanish, Moorish, West Indian, and Latin American origins and influences.
At the time and place of the Texas Revolution, the term had come to refer to a kind of diversion, usually a festive gathering marked by music, dancing, gambling, drinking, and eating. Fandangos were held in the streets, in makeshift dance halls, or in fandango houses throughout the year. Violins and guitars at these functions played the equivalent of "Turkey in the Straw" while couples danced a polka or bolero.
Due to the large number of single men on the Texas frontier, the state became known as the Bachelor Republic. Two men frequently danced as partners, the one taking the lady's part "heifer branded" by wearing an apron or a handkerchief tied around one arm. Finding suitable dance music was a problem. If no one had ox-carted a piano to the site or brought a fiddle or accordion, the dancers improvised. At times, to make rhythm, someone banged on a clevis with a piece of iron, scraped a file across a hoe blade, "blew a tune" on a peach leaf, or rhythmically slapped his legs in a maneuver called "patting juba."
Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die...
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