CARNAVALES!!!

Last weekend was Carnaval here in Palma! Carnaval is like the Spanish version of Halloween, where everyone gets dressed up in the street, there are activities each day in all the schools, and there is a HUGE parade with elaborate floats and dances. It was simply indescribable!

First off, we had to plan our costumes. Encarna and I had been looking up ideas the whole week and trying to come up with something original. SO.... I bought some suspenders, a bow tie and some white gloves and went as a ventriloquist's doll! Encarna bought some black fabric to attach to a white skirt of hers and went as a zebra, and Raquel want as a leopard. We had some friends come over to the house and hang out first: a cowboy, a basketball player, and a carton of milk... heehee. Then we all went out to a discoteca to dance and see all the other costumes... Wow some people really got into it! It was really fun...

When we got home it wasn't as difficult to clean up for Raquel and I as it was for Encarna. We went to sleep and found out in the morning that we had no water!! Thank god Encarna got to shower and rinse out all the hair die the night before! We were worried she would have had to sleep with all of that on! ¿Menos mal, no?

So that was Saturday night... On Sunday there was a huge parade that passed through all of Palma with decorated floats, elaborate costumes, and different dances from Spain as well as South America. I went with my friend Paul, who is actually from Peru, and he explained the significance behind a lot of the South American dances... it was really interesting. There were also people on the floats that threw out candy and roses (considering it was on Valentine's Day too). It reminded me of the 4th of July Parade in Steilacoom... man do I miss that :)