Martes Gordo (Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras, Carnival)

Por Carlo

 24 Feb 2009 was the day before Ash Wednesday. In many parts of the world this day is celebrated with great parties just before the forty days of Lent.. This year, in San Blas, the celebration coincided with Flag Day.

We knew there was going to be a parade, and so we headed downtown for our first experience of Carnival in San Blas. The San Blas Social Club was having a special Rib Eye steak dinner (remember many people give up meat for Lent) and we took a seat on the balcony for the food and the view. The food was very good and the view was excellent!

The Plaza was packed with people when we arrived at 6:30. The band from the Marina was there; many young men carrying drums and brass instruments. They played for quite a while and when they quieted down the parade began. And oh what a parade it was.

I realize that New Orleans has the biggest Mardi Gras in the USA and there is no match for Carnival in Brazil but, for San Blas, this was one heck of a parade. There were about a dozen cars with young attractive women dressed in gowns and wearing tiaras. Each of them smiling and waving; their attendants throwing candy into the adoring crowd (candy instead of beads and one doesn’t even have to expose one’s chest to get some). After the cars went by, there came a large group of costumed people (also throwing candy) dancing and singing. When everyone had passed by we noticed more cars coming down the street. Then we saw that they were actually the same cars that had circled the block just to give the crowd another look and the young women another chance to smile and wave. I think some of the cars made more than two trips around and so the parade lasted for a very good amount of time.

 I will load some pictures of the parade to my Facebook page. Look for them by signing onto Facebook and searching me out by my email address.

 As mi Amiga Josie would say, “Hasta La Pasta” (until the next spaghetti meal).