Hey y'all! This post is a special post, because we had the honor of being in Ecuador for the infamous Carnaval festivities. Essentially, Carnaval is a typical pre-Lent fiesta, which are found in many Catholic countries and even some not pre-dominantly Catholic countries, like the United States (Mardi Gras in New Orleans). This is a time to eat everything, drink everything, and get all of the partying out of your system before Lent comes and you have to be on your best behavior. Each country does this a little bit differently, and here I am going to explain the Ecuadorian Carnaval experience.
Pictured above: Tyler after getting sprayed directly in the face by the random girl who is later mentioned in this post.
In particular, my Carnaval experience took place in Cuenca, which is the third largest city in Ecuador. This means that there are a lot of people here to partake in the festivities. Carnaval is based on tradition, so there is a certain sort of timeline that the festival follows. And it begins on the Thursday night before Ash Wednesday. This particular fiesta takes place in Parque Calderon, which is located in front of the famous Cuenca Cathedral. My friends and I were walking towards the Cathedral when our first, true understanding of Carnaval occurred. We were about two blocks from the Cathedral when, from a balcony above me, a bucket of water was thrown onto me. And immediately after, a second bucket followed. I turned to walk away, and, can you guess what happened next? A third bucket of water found my head! After this, I ran.
This is very typical of Carnaval, as well as water guns and water bottles being used everywhere you turn. After crossing the street, we discovered the second main mode of attack used at Carnaval: carioca. Carioca is a mix between silly string and shaving cream, and people use it to attack from very obviously right in front of you, from behind you, from cars, from bikes, literally from everywhere. There are other things that people use during Carnaval (for example, someone put red paint in my hair), but water and carioca are the most common.
Once we got to the Cathedral, it was CHAOS. Everywhere we turned, someone was spraying us with water or carioca. And then when we turned away from them, someone else was right there to finish the job. People were running all over the place, people were pouring water down each other's shirts, people were falling and slipping everywhere. I had an absolute blast. Now, I did not get any footage of this because I did not want to get my phone wet or stolen (beware of this, especially if you have an iPhone).
Video above: A short video from after the parade on Saturday morning, featuring once more the girl who fearlessly attacked the large group of Americans.
So that was just one night. The next five days (Friday to Tuesday) are a mix of parades and the same kind of activities. But, as the days progress, there are less people out, because that is when it begins to get serious. People do not go outside unless they are willing and prepared to fight. Also, if you are out at this time, they do not care if you are out to play or not. You WILL, I repeat, you WILL, get sprayed down if you are seen. They just do not care. If you do not want to be sprayed, you stay inside your house with the windows closed and a week's worth of food and water.
Pictured above: Live action shot of the carioca!
The next activity that we encountered was as a group in the Plaza El Otorongo. This was on Saturday morning. This consisted of a parade that led to this location, and in the plaza was a stage with dancers and other various speakers. There was also food, drinks, and a ton of carioca vendors. This is where we had our carioca fight, featuring a little girl who ran up to us and attacked so as a group, we attacked back (don't worry, we also kept buying her more carioca). She disappeared and then later reappeared with a water gun. A really fun and unique experience overall.
Pictured above: A mini-parade coming down the stairs featuring a Condor, the national bird of Ecuador and a major cultural icon here.
Carnaval is, as I stated earlier, a very traditional festival. Along with a somewhat set schedule and the water spraying/dumping, there are also certain food that are eaten. One of which is a specific soup that is only made once a year. Soup is a staple food in Ecuador for everyday life, but this soup in particular is only made during Carnaval. Another traditional "dish" is an entire roasted pig, including the skin of the pig. And, of course, cuy (or guinea pig), although this is also eaten all year round.
Pictured above: My group in front of one of the roasted pigs found all over the city during Carnaval (and Doctora generously buying a plate for us to try).
All in all, Carnaval was a wonderful time for all of us. I enjoyed it immensely and I would love to come back to Ecuador for another Carnaval, or even to another country that celebrates the holiday to compare the similarities and the differences. If you ever have the opportunity to be in Ecuador for Carnaval, I hope you love it and I hope you bring a raincoat, a book-bag full of cans of carioca, and a good attitude for when you get a bucket (or three) of water dumped on you!
Please like and share, and comment if you have ever experienced Carnaval for yourself, in Ecuador or in any other country or if you have any questions! Stay tuned for my next post!
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