Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Carnaval!! Entroido!!


It's Carnaval!! Dia festivo!! No school!! Costumes everywhere since last Friday!! Dancing in the streets!! Filloas (crepes) and Orejas (like elephant ears) for dessert!! I LOVE IT!!!!!

Me-the cat, Melisa-elctrocutedOther friends dressed like Geisha...they were fabulous!
Portuguese Axel Rose-Slash was hanging around somewhere too.
Here in Santiago today everything is closed and kids have the day off from school to celebrate carnaval. What is carnaval? Well, basically for those of us from the USA its like Mardi Gras, the big party to celebrate and pasarlo bien before the beginning of lent 40 days before Easter. Where Halloween isn't really celebrated beyond trick-or-treating, school, and a few private parties, carnaval has been an amazing 5 day celebration bringing the old and the young to the streets in costumes. Here in Spain the biggest Caraval celebrations are in Cadiz and Las Palmas in the Canary Islands and in Galicia the biggest celebration is in Verín, Ourense. By luck of chance 5 years ago I went to the carnaval celebration in Cadiz, and this year I got to see Carnaval (Entroido-in Gallego) in Verín. It's most famous for the cigarrons, crazy dudes dressed in pom-pom shorts, huge wooden masks, and cow bells running through the streets with whips and causing a ruckus. They were great despite the fact the when you suddenly heard the bells start up a little fear was struck up inside me to get out of the way fast an not be whipped...hahaha.
Another tradicion they have in Verín is to throw flour at people (in another town close by they throw ants mixed in vinegar-to make them all the more excited) and little bags can be bought on the street and thrown at whomever you choose. My friend Melisa and I were floured while dancing.
The party started early and leaving on Sunday was still going, every every every one was dressed up, every was having a great time, live music playing in the plazas and when the band took a break small bands of friends struck up in song so the dancing didn't have to end. I do love halloween and trick-or-treating...but I have to admit carnaval was way more fun than any Halloween party I've ever been too.

1 comment:

Kate Suchomel said...

nice cat outfit! i love that you got floured. in honduras, they throw eggs on you on your birthday. nice huh?
yea, i gotta say, the volcano in guatemala was a bit better than the one we climbed in tenerife. :) although that certainly was an adventure!! ha!

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