Carnaval!

After a week of midterm and project craziness Ryan came for a visit and we took off to Veracruz, a port city on the Atlantic coast. It being 9 days before Ash Wednesday (and 98% of Mexicans being Catholic), Veracruz is celebrating Carnival, a festival full of music, dancing, and parades! The extended week starts off with the burning of the effigy of bad humour - and from there the fun begins!

We got to watch the parade for the crowning of the King of Happiness... a young, good looking Mexican who fends off more screaming girls than Brad Pitt. It reminded me of the way Canadians would cheer for a famous hockey player- except that this guy is decked out in bright red spandex with gold sparkles, humungous golden wings, and is loved for his ability to salsa dance. My favourite part of the parade was the float carrying past kings of carnaval. Men in their 70s and 80s danced salsa wearing their original crowns from back in the day.

Although this carnaval pales in comparison to the original version in Brazil, it was still a great time to celebrate with Mexicans from across the country!