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Published: February 22nd 2012
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Carnaval!
Make up on Saturday Bona Tarde everyone!!
Sorry for the delay, my week was slow until Carnaval and I wanted to steal people's pictures to post!!
Carnaval is a 5 day long festival fit with costumes, pride and confidence for all that celebrate it. The reason Carnaval falls on this week is (to be blunt) to get all your sins out and over before Ash Wednesday. On Thursday, the first night of craziness, the "King" arrives into town and there is a parade in his honor. There were also parades other nights, full of groups in theme outfits shakin' what their madres gave them! The parade is so energetic and full of color, lights, glitter and all kinds of people coming together. It looks a lot like people dressed up for halloween watching the Macy Day Parade, but only the dancers and drummers. Walking to find the parade, you get completely swarmed into a sea of every age/size/race of people dressed as anything from Mario and Luigi, LMFAO, chickens, cowboys, popes, firefighters or Ghosts from Pacman. While the parade marches, back in the plaza there is a mass crowd of student-aged people meeting and dancing their butts off! My favorite part of the
Carnaval!
Avatar Float parade was that there was no size or shape missing. There were men dressed as women and looking FABULOUS, and every size and age of women you can think of! It truly shows that everyone in this city and country are appreciated for how the are and there isn't a ton of pressure to be "Miss America" on a float!
While Carnaval takes place in many countries all over the world, the closest for us was in Sitges, a little less than an hour's train ride south. Saturday we spent the day and were able to walk up to the beach, and the boardwalk. For 7.50 euro roundtrip ticket, this is definitely the beach to be at once it gets warm!
Today being Ash Wednesday, I decided I really wanted to get ashes at Sagrada Familia, one of Spain's most famous cathedral. I had a few pictures of it from earlier in my journey but I took some today too! The service was held in a small section of the cathedral solely sectioned off for prayer and worship and not as much for tourists (I am not a tourist anymore...I have an address, and a gym membership okay?!).
Carnaval!
Jamie and I rockin' our masks! The language of the service was Catalan, a mixture of Spanish French and Portuguese. I am taking Catalan as a class but we only know how to say our name and the days of the week so needless to say, I was at a bit of a loss with understanding. Thank goodness the priest was very animated (Much like Father Armond) and had a sense of humor (I guessed based of the guy's chuckles next to me). Besides the difference in language, when we proceeded to recieve our ashes, I was caught off guard at the fact that instead of putting a cross with black ash on our foreheads, they spinkled grey ash on the crowd of our hairline. This answered my day long question of "Why does no one have huge crosses on their heads in one of the most Catholic countries in the world...". Ding! Who knows, maybe Father Garisto will take a hint to go easy on us next year.
As for the rest of the week, all has been pretty basic! Wake up, go to class, go to the gym, go back to class, come home and eat a feast, do homework.
Carnaval!
He gave me a kiss on the cheek, I got embarrassed! Rinse and Repeat!
The weather is clearing up and I will probably be at the beach this weekend! Sorry to twist the knife popsicles!
Besos!
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Karen Shafer
non-member comment
Enjoy
Erin, I have been reading your blogs and I must say this looks like the most amazing trip ever. You are so lucky to be making these memories. Everything looks awesome and I am enjoying living vicariously through you. Please keep up the info sharing and I will continue to read. Enjoy! Mrs. S.