So this weekend was one of the coolest weekends i've had in Spain yet. Thursday the Third was the first night of Carnival, which is a celebration before lent similar to Mardi Gras in the United States. However in Spain Carnival lasts for ten days and in Alicante there is one night that is always crazier than the others. In Alicante that is the first Saturday so for us it was the 5th. Which is the day when the city's main thoroughfares, La Rambla and El Barrio, fill with stunning costume parades, music and dancing. I didn't see any of the big parades because we didn't know what time they were at but by the time we all went out to the barrio on Saturday the entire Rambla which is the big street that runs from the beach up near the Mercado Central was packed with people. The thing is here it's not just people in the street almost every single person is in costume and they aren't just basic simple costumes there were a lot of costumes that took time to make. The costume that I saw that would probably be the coolest or most intricate was this guy dressed as like a boat but not like a small sailboat no he was dressed as a big boat like you would see in Pirates of the Carribean. The thing that I personally found strange was that it was completely acceptable to be dressed up wearing black face and/ or to be dressed like middle eastern terrorists.
Carnival isn't just a party though it has a strong significance to the people of Spain because of the large number of Catholics in the country. it is believed the term Carnival derives from the words "farewell to the flesh," a reference to the excesses that led up to the sombre Lent. Some suspect Carnival is derived from the Roman solstice festival, the Saturnalia, where participants indulged in much drinking and dancing. Saturnalia is believed to have had the first parade floats, called the 'carrus navalis'. Due to the pagan roots Franco banned Carnival for 40 years and that is why each year the celebrations get bigger and bigger.
The group Thursday Night with Masks photo by Anna Lauren
Me and my friend Hannah Thursday another by Anna Lauren
Me in my sweet mask for Thursday (Anna Lauren)
Spanish Costumes (desfrases) foto by Anna Lauren
Another Desfrase, (anna lauren)
Groups dressed toghether (AL)
The really cool boat costume
Saturdays Outfit: 20's Gangster :)
American girls celebrating Carnival
So even though the big celebration is over next week and the weekend are still considered Carnival, so we will see how next weekend is I also don't know if I will ever see a party like this one in the United States, so it was a once in a lifetime amazing opportunity. Here are a ton of pictures with the captions of what they are!
Before and After (Jillian)
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