There’ve been a lot of events lately with Erika’s birthday, Andalucía Day, Teacher Day, and most recently, Carnival. I spent last year’s Carnival in New Orleans and the one before that in Rio de Janeiro, so it was interesting to contrast that with a celebration in rural Spain. Andalucía is actually home to some of the most famous Carnival events in the world (the best known being in Cádiz). Our town certainly didn’t become an international hotspot last week, but we did have a parade, musical showcase, and one bumpin’ costume party/contest.
According to primary school tradition, every class dresses up as a theme for Carnival, such as hippies, skeletons, chickens, and so on. The teachers dress up too, and this year the theme was indios, meaning Indians/Native Americans. In the U.S. I don’t know if dressing up as an indio is politically correct, nor am I sure it’s kosher to sell alcohol at an elementary school, but for Carnival I guess one just turns a blind eye, grabs a headdress, and orders a cup of beer (supporting the 6th grade fundraiser of course).
I’ve been told that the Carnival culture in Spain is based on the tradition of chirigotas, which are groups that dress up in costumes and sing witty songs. Below is a video of the teacher’s chirigota performance, subtitles included. If you speak Spanish, have fun trying to understand the lyrics which are super Andalusian. If you do not speak Spanish, the song is more or less a comical account of a horseback-riding, fire-water-drinking, Native American tribe.
Also, there are Carnival photos on our Facebook page so check them out if you’re interested.
