We danced again today, but this time in the real Carnaval parade. It was judged, televised and everything. Crazy experience! We were dancing with the Comisión de Salud Mental (Mental Health Commission), where CCS sometimes sends volunteers. Generally how Carnaval parades work is that organizations and neighborhoods form dancing groups, and starting from where they live/work, they dance, sing, and drink their way to the main plaza where all the crowds and the judges are. (During Carnaval, drinking on the streets is legal and encouraged.) We all had our traditional matching “Huamangina” (Ayacuchen) outfits, and a full bottle of Johnson’s baby powder each. I’m still not sure about the significance of the powder, but it’s tradition to put it all over your face, and when you’re dancing, shoot it into the air every once in a while. We were covered in baby powder by the end of the parade!
It took us quite a while to get to the plaza, but when we did, we were glad we had had a beer or two; There were at least 3,000 people there to watch the parade, and we—as usual—stood out, and got a little more attention than we bargained for. We’ve really been tossed right into the Peruvian culture here this past week thanks to Carnaval!
Holding up traffic
(I'm the one closest to the camera)
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