Carnaval de Cádiz

Many of the students in my study abroad program traveled to Cádiz to celebrate carnaval. Carnaval takes place the week before lent and it's basically a huge street party with music, costumes, dancing, and of course...lots of alcohol. The celebration was banned by Franco for 40 years. One of the most interesting things about carnaval is that people incorporate irony, satire, or humor into their music and costumes.

We got to Cádiz at four o'clock in the afternoon and met back at the bus at six in the morning. It was definitely a long day, but there was plenty to see and do. We spent most of the afternoon enjoying the beach, and after watching the sunset we headed to the cathedral to join the party. The costumes were amazing. The creativity was absolutely impressive. I'm sorry I don't have any pictures - I didn't take my camera because I heard that theft is really common during carnaval. People are packed together so tight you can't even move, much less pay attention to the security of your stuff.

Carnaval was crazy. I saw a lot of things I never expected to see. Really. Shocking. Things. Still, I had a good time. It was fun to be a part of the celebration and to experience one of Spain's many cultural traditions.