guiri guia: Carnaval: Disfraz yourself.

Pirates conversing in the streets. Matadors window-shopping down Main Street. Green-haired cross-dressers waiting at the bus stop.

A visit to Disneyland, perhaps? A scene out of a Tim Burton movie? Or maybe just a normal October 31st in the States?

Nah. Just a typical spring day in Spain.

It's carnaval season.

Carnaval is the pre-Lenten celebration similar to Mardi Gras, only people wear costumes, disfrazes, instead of beads (the girls actually keep their costumes on)...and it lasts for an entire two weeks. During the weekends of carnaval all over Spain, there are parades throughout cities, and people typically attend dressed up in group costumes. Additionally, botellónes, group street-drinking (basically a bunch of young people gathered around liquor bottles), are held in every plaza. The festivies carry on until 6:00 or 7:00 the next morning...and beyond Ash Wednesday.

Last weekend I joined my roommate, Ellie, on a group trip to Cádiz, the city most famous for carnaval and the city in which I studied in Summer 2008. So during my one day in Cádiz, I walked around in a leopard-print dress reminiscing and visiting my favorite ice cream shops, cafés, and resaurants. I also visited my former host family for coffee, which was the best part of the trip.

Later in the evening I met up with the group in the plaza with hundreds of botellónes. However, around 11:00pm, the rain started coming down (yes, it does rain here in Spain), so we went for dinner. Afterwards, Ellie and I stopped by a free concert, warmed up with some tea, and spent the rest of the evening sitting on the beach.

Carnaval festivities probably aren't my favorite out of all Spanish traditions. The streets are crowded with people and empty bottles, the hours are long and tiring, yet the Spanish men are incessant and restless. But I enjoyed revisiting sites and people. And I'm glad I got the chance to return to the "city that always smiles." Even though I was dressed as a Neanderthal.