Carnaval

Carnaval

March 4, 2014

Carnaval was one of the best nights and experiences I have had abroad so far.  Carnaval (or Carnival) was taking place all over Europe and had made its way to Barcelona and Sitges.  It is the celebration and festival that happens 10 days before Lent leading up to Easter.  Tuesday was the last night of Carnaval, also known as "Fat Tuesday" before the next day of Ash Wednesday.  Since it was the final day of celebration, it is the craziest day. My roommates and I took a bus down to Sitges which is an hour away from Barcelona.  During the summer, it a beach destination and a popular destination for the gay community.  Sitges has one of the largest end of Carnaval celebrations and it was true - there were thousands of people there! If you want history as to what exactly Carnaval is, you can look at my storify blog about the festival!

When we got to Sitges, it was crazy! Everyone dresses up in costumes and they don't have to make sense.  Since the gay community is so big there, there were a lot of men dressed up as women in heels! There were also a lot of people dressed up in tutus, sailors, really all kinds of costumes you could imagine.  A lot of people paint their face or wear things on their heads.  I wore a black sparkly dress and painted my face.  One of my roommates wore a pink wig and painted her face!  Everyone drinks in the streets, there is music playing and a parade with floats of people dancing.  Each float had a different theme, some of them have to do with different political problems in Spain and others are just for fun. I saw dancers, a marching band, people dressed up as prisoners and more.  We walked all around and watched the parade and got confetti thrown all over us! We even managed to walk in the parade at some point! (We don't know how we did it!) 

Parade

All the people

Dancers

When we got done watching the parade, we went to a local bar and hung out for a little bit.  It was interesting seeing the locals dress up and how they acted during this celebration.  I liked seeing local Spanish people really celebrate a holiday and festival that means a lot to them.  It really showed a lot of their pride and passion for their culture and religion.  I had always heard about Carnaval and never thought I would have the opportunity to experience it for myself.  I am so glad I had the chance to go to Sitges and be a part of a tradition that has been going on for years.   

Carnaval was hard to describe in words, it was one of the most fun experiences I have ever had.  What is better than a huge party in the street in costumes? I wish I could go back and do it again! Maybe I'll come back next year!