The best party ever!

Yesterday was Fat Tuesday, or Marti Gras if you're French and Martedi Grasso if you're Italian. But the words do not matter because,no matter where you are in the world or what language you speak, it is an excuse to party before the 40 days of Lent. And let me tell you, Italians know how to throw a party. Their Fat Tuesday celebration is called Carnivale, and it takes place in cities across Italy. The Carnivale I chose to go to with Ashley, Allyson, Ania, and Eldon was in Viareggio, a town on the Mediterranean coast. This Carnivale is known as the best in Italy, and it runs every Sunday for about a month before Lent. Yesterday was the last day, and we all got done with class at noon, so we decided to get on a train and go.

Aside from a bit of confusion about which train to ride, we got to Viareggio just fine, and then Ashley and Allyson bought beautiful Carnivale masks. We proceeded to search for the festival. At first we were a bit skeptical because it didn't seem like there was much going on, aside from a few families dressed in matching furry costumes roaming the streets. Finally we found the festival, which had kids' rides and lots of food booths. We had to pay 15 euros to get in, so we were all thinking, "This better be good." Once we got in we weren't sure what to do or where to go. We didn't know if we had to pay more to go on the rides and such, so we just wandered for a bit. Finally the good part came. We were just standing in the street, surrounded by kids and parents dressed in costume when we realized that the parade was coming, and we were directly in its route. And this wasn't just any parade, this was a parade unlike any I've ever seen before. Huge floats that fill up the entire street and are as tall as the multi-story hotels that rise up on one side are constructed from a sort of paper mache. The floats are all pulled by tractors, and they blast loud dancing music. They are all just packed with costumed dancing people, again little kids, parents, old people, teenagers, everyone participates. Unlike parades in the U.S., people do not just sit and watch the parade go by; they get up and dance in the street to the music, and lots of the parade marchers who are not on the float invited us to dance with them.

Many of the floats have a political theme. One that was specifically aimed at America was a satire of Barack Obama. He was dressed as a railroad worker in overalls and holding a hammer in his hand. In front of the float there were people dancing who had their faces painted black, and they were dressed as various occupations that represent middle class Americans. Other floats were less political, such as one based on Aladdin and another with a bunch of giant goose heads sticking out. The parade went on for probably 2-3 hours, and we were dancing almost the whole time. After the parade many young people just started dancing out in the street to the music that was still playing from the floats. It was just such a fun atmosphere and unlike anything I had ever seen in the U.S. before this. I especially enjoyed the fact that everyone, no matter their age, really got into it. I have never seen so many parents and children dressed up in furry purple cow suits before. Other costumes included a group of little girls dressed up as cheerleaders from Rydell High in Grease, a guy dressed up as the Pope who was handing out fake Eucharists, and a plenitude of young men dressed as women.

After the parade was over, I wanted to go see the ocean/sea, since I have never seen it before. So we walked toward where we thought it was, and then I saw it. I ran across the beach all the way to it, and when I got to it I kicked my shoes off and went in, panty-hose still on, as far as I could without completely soaking my mini-skirt. It was just such and exhilarating experience, even though I'm sure any Italians who saw me probably thought I was crazy.

After the ocean, we decided to try to find a place to eat. This is when we encountered two men who had been on a float in the parade. Ania and I had been blowing kisses at many of the men on the floats throughout the parade, so we think they may have been guys we were blowing kisses to. One was dressed as a clown, and the other had a cape and painted mask on his face. The clown seemed to have had a bit too much to drink, and he was asking us to come party with them. He was also shoving candy down our shirts and kissing our cheeks. He told us about a giant party that happens after the parade at the end of the street, and Ania, Allyson, and I thought it sounded like something worth trying. Ashley and Eldon weren't really feeling up to it, so they decided to head back to Florence. This was probably a good thing because it gave us an excuse to escape from the clown. Ania, Allyson, and I proceeded to find the party and, let me tell you, it was a party! There were food and alcohol vendors everywhere, and it was great food too. Since it was Fat Tuesday, I decided to splurge. Although I had already had a sandwich and gelato for dinner, I had a delicious cream filled, deep-fried pastry and a hot dog. I'm usually not much of a hot dog person, but this was a hot dog Italian style. It was on a homemade bread bun that was toasted and had fried peppers and sauerkraut on it...very tasty! Aside from the food, there were DJs set up on the street blasting loud music, and there was dancing everywhere. Although it was beginning to get late, small children and older people were still members of the party crowd. It was nothing like a street dance in America where usually people don't dance too much. Here everyone was dancing, and people you did not know would just start dancing with you. I've never had so much fun at a festival in my life! Unfortunately, the last train left Viareggio for Florence at 10:00 p.m., so we had to leave when the party was just getting started. I'm pretty sure it carries on all night, so perhaps another year I will find myself back in Viareggio for Carnivale. Until then, I will definitely remember last night as the best party I've ever been to.