The Spanish like many in Europe and Louisiana realized that the Lenten season is coming. In order to properly prepare for Lent, they hold Carnaval which is a week long celebration with festivities, drinking (lots of drinking) and a parade. We went to Rota's children's parade which is the tamest event of the festival. The people here dress up for the Carnaval parade like we do for Halloween. We went to the Toys R Us at the mall the day before the parade and the costume aisle looked like the Halloween aisle at Target the day of Halloween. Parents and kids frantically grabbing their last minute costumes to be ready for the celebration. We decided to take it easy this year and go see the festivities in Rota as it is the smallest town around here. We had heard the neighboring towns' Carnaval festivities were pretty crazy, packed and not a good place for young kids. Imagine Mardi Gras with no beads.
O and I await the parade to start in the main plaza. The towns people literally just gathered in the plaza and then walked the pedestrian streets to another plaza. That was the parade. Where were the marching bands, Shriners in their motorized cars and the Jesse White Tumblers?
Had to take pictures of the family all dressed up as vikings. Even the kids were dressed up.
The town had obviously held a pageant for Carnaval and these girls were the winners? We could not read their sashes so I am not sure. But they looked so pretty in their medieval costumes.
These guys killed us. They were dressed up as wounded matadors. If you look closely, you can see their fake blood and bandages.
O and I await the parade to start in the main plaza. The towns people literally just gathered in the plaza and then walked the pedestrian streets to another plaza. That was the parade. Where were the marching bands, Shriners in their motorized cars and the Jesse White Tumblers?
Had to take pictures of the family all dressed up as vikings. Even the kids were dressed up.
The town had obviously held a pageant for Carnaval and these girls were the winners? We could not read their sashes so I am not sure. But they looked so pretty in their medieval costumes.
These guys killed us. They were dressed up as wounded matadors. If you look closely, you can see their fake blood and bandages.
1 comment:
I remember going to a similar parade in Rethymno, Crete about this time of year (Feb. 2005) with some friends. What you describe is very much like what we saw, too. There were Shreks everywhere! We're glad you're having a good time over there.
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