It's almost Carnival (Mardi Gras)!!!

maxmordon

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Mardi-Gras-2006.jpg
 

WendyNYC

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Behind you! Boo.
Is that this coming Tues? I guess I'll need to make my King cake.
 

maxmordon

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Yes, it is even in Portugal. :)

This weekend there is tons of celebrations, in Portuguese and Brazilian clubs and Associations around London.

Also here in Latin America. We usually go around in costumes throwing eggs and water balloons around. Here you can see how was the Carnival/Mardi Gras in Caracas during the 50's:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaOn5STm94I
 

maxmordon

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Let us not forget that the extremes and fun of Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) are a last blast before the season of Lent begins, a season of giving up, self-sacrificice, inner search, and prayer (not to mention fasting and back to the old fish on Fridays gig!)

Quite true, JA. Here we have a costum on Lent that is eat capybara meat because Spanish conquistadors declared that it was an aquatic animal (as aquatic as the beaver, actually) and that is why is the only warm blood animal aproved by the Catholic Church to eat on lent
 

truelyana

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Also here in Latin America. We usually go around in costumes throwing eggs and water balloons around. Here you can see how was the Carnival/Mardi Gras in Caracas during the 50's:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaOn5STm94I

I know, it is pretty latin regional related. Is Mardi Gras the name for it in Latin America? As in Portugal, it's just carnival and we dress up in any costume and lasts the whole month. In parts of the country, they have particurlar traditions. In Lisbon, they have beautiful marches.

Beautiful video by the way.
 

maxmordon

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I know, it is pretty latin regional related. Is Mardi Gras the name for it in Latin America? As in Portugal, it's just carnival and we dress up in any costume and lasts the whole month. In parts of the country, they have particurlar traditions. In Lisbon, they have beautiful marches.

Beautiful video by the way.

Same here, it just called carnival and we dress in costumes and try to get wet other people (usually with water buckets or water balloons) and some mean people throw eggs. But here usually last the two weeks around the Carnival week
 

truelyana

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Same here, it just called carnival and we dress in costumes and try to get wet other people (usually with water buckets or water balloons) and some mean people throw eggs. But here usually last the two weeks around the Carnival week

I think that may be the same in Portugal. I just don't remember much as a child, only what my parents tell me. They go to carnival gatherings at a Portuguese Association at the time here in England. Sometimes they dress up. Last Carnival my dad dressed up as a Toreiro and he won a competition. It's a place for Portuguese people to gather, eat, drink, dance and just have a good time.
 

Jcomp

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*sigh*. I miss Mardi Gras. All we have is "Fiesta" and the "Battle of Flowers" parade, and it is so, so, so, SO not the same.
 

maxmordon

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I think that may be the same in Portugal. I just don't remember much as a child, only what my parents tell me. They go to carnival gatherings at a Portuguese Association at the time here in England. Sometimes they dress up. Last Carnival my dad dressed up as a Toreiro and he won a competition. It's a place for Portuguese people to gather, eat, drink, dance and just have a good time.

Yeah, also sounds the same here. Although the costumes thing is more for children that anyone else now; except if someone organize a costume party
 

truelyana

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Yeah, also sounds the same here. Although the costumes thing is more for children that anyone else now; except if someone organize a costume party

Do the men dress up as ladies? As my mum said, when I was little one time for carnival my dad and all my cousins dressed up as ladies, and were painting the town red. My mum always dressed me up too.
 

truelyana

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*sigh*. I miss Mardi Gras. All we have is "Fiesta" and the "Battle of Flowers" parade, and it is so, so, so, SO not the same.

The Battle of Flowers parade sounds beautiful. Is everything made of flowers in this parade? As they have a similiar thing in a town in Portugal, and it is known for all it's flowers.
 

maxmordon

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Do the men dress up as ladies? As my mum said, when I was little one time for carnival my dad and all my cousins dressed up as ladies, and were painting the town red. My mum always dressed me up too.

I think you can see on the video some women disguised as "negritas" something considered a traditional costume; well some men used to go dressed as negritas. But there were usually trasvestites (also some wives used to go as negrita to see with who were they husbands; more than one husband back then found his wife while taking a negrita to bed). But that is pretty much over nowadays... except the Billo's Caracas Boys (the music you hear on the vid)
 

maxmordon

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The Battle of Flowers parade sounds beautiful. Is everything made of flowers in this parade? As they have a similiar thing in a town in Portugal, and it is known for all it's flowers.

Isn't that parade they show on TV on Jan 1th? we also a have flower parade on St. Joseph's Day, also a crowning of the godmother of the fair and some bullfights