I was never a Carnaval person. “But you’re Brazilian!” you’ll say. Sorry to disappoint you, but not every Brazilian can dance samba, play soccer or spends their weekends half-naked on the beach.
BUT. I do like to laugh and have fun and I’m very curious about traditions in other countries.
This was the third time I was here for Carnaval and hadn’t seen it yet. In 2012 I went to Porto. In 2013 we simply didn’t go (probably because the repeated “It’s too marginal” comments killed my mood).
I had heard a lot about the parades, the traditional costumes and the throwing of oranges (Onions? Carrots?) at the crowd. So this year I thought: What’s wrong with marginal? This is a great event and I want to see it! And so we did.
We went to Aalst and spent the afternoon watching the parade, which featured groups of every size who made fun of everything you can imagine:
BUT. I do like to laugh and have fun and I’m very curious about traditions in other countries.
This was the third time I was here for Carnaval and hadn’t seen it yet. In 2012 I went to Porto. In 2013 we simply didn’t go (probably because the repeated “It’s too marginal” comments killed my mood).
I had heard a lot about the parades, the traditional costumes and the throwing of oranges (Onions? Carrots?) at the crowd. So this year I thought: What’s wrong with marginal? This is a great event and I want to see it! And so we did.
We went to Aalst and spent the afternoon watching the parade, which featured groups of every size who made fun of everything you can imagine:
We drank our big cans of Jupiler and ate street food.
We laughed at people and their hilarious costumes. And of course I didn’t understand a word of their dialect, Oilsjters, present on every float, poster, costume and songs.
Even though Belgium doesn’t have samba or our incredibly hot weather (which leads to people's half-nakedness), the spirit of Carnaval is the same everywhere: people dress up, get drunk, throw confetti, sing silly songs and forget about real life for a few days.
I'm still not fond of drunken crowds, but next year I definitely want to check out Binche. In the name of curiosity and culture!
Have you been to Carnaval abroad? Leave a comment below!
We laughed at people and their hilarious costumes. And of course I didn’t understand a word of their dialect, Oilsjters, present on every float, poster, costume and songs.
Even though Belgium doesn’t have samba or our incredibly hot weather (which leads to people's half-nakedness), the spirit of Carnaval is the same everywhere: people dress up, get drunk, throw confetti, sing silly songs and forget about real life for a few days.
I'm still not fond of drunken crowds, but next year I definitely want to check out Binche. In the name of curiosity and culture!
Have you been to Carnaval abroad? Leave a comment below!
