"La vida es un carnaval"

I decided to dedicate an entire post to one night because of how much fun it was. The problem is, even after having experienced one of the biggest traditional events in Spain, I still don't really understand what Carnaval is.

As a j-school student, I've learned the importance of research. So I did just that with this whole Carnaval thing and came to find that the festival I went to last night is said to be the third largest celebration in the world! I believe it, there were thousands of people parading the streets and it was as if their only mission was to party. The festival ironically stems from ancient Christians who would celebrate the end of harsh winters and welcome in the new Spring. They would also incorporate it into their calendars as a celebration before lent. Here in Spain, the festival was outlawed while Franco ran the show, but when he died in the 70's it came back, which I'm guessing is why people go so nuts. Franco was not their favorite person here.

Either way, we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into (in a good way). All we knew was it was a night full of celebration. We got home from Granada at 8 p.m. and had to be on a bus at 9 p.m. to depart for Cádiz, which is about an hour south of Sevilla. We bought costumes this last week not really knowing what to do or what to expect. Needless to say, our wigs and masks were nothing compared to how crazy some people got. But it was still fun running around with pom poms on our heads and masks hiding our identities.

Emma and I with our Señora

We got to Cádiz around 11 and the marathon began. We weren't meeting back for the bus until 5:30 a.m. which freaked me out; anyone who knows me knows I do not do well with late nights. Spaniards stay out so late and I did not know how any of us were going to survive until that hour (drinking or not) but that's what Carnaval is all about and we just ran with it!

The entire city revolves around this two weekend-long festival. Every single person that walks the street is wearing some sort of costume and every one of them is having the time of their lives. It was almost like Halloween for adults but a lot less candy and a lot more alcohol. Que loco.

I would definitely say that Carnaval is unlike anything I've ever seen in the States. Streets are packed with people and it's as if laws don't exist. It doesn't make sense that this fiesta originates from a Catholic celebration, but it makes sense why it's the third largest celebration in the world. I'm glad I had the chance to experience it. Mi vida como una española definitely wouldn't be complete without Carnaval.