Locals and laughter: Carnaval

Carnaval is celebrated in several regions of Spain and luckily Galicia is one of them. I had three days off of school and therefore went to the province of Ourense to celebrate. Everyone who knows me, knows that I love fiestas in Spain! In 2011, I went to Sanfermines (running of the bulls) and several other small village festivals. And when I studied in Sevilla, I went to many fiestas as well, including La Feria de Abril. But I always fall in love with the smaller fiestas, and my goal this year (and every year) is to go to as many as I can. These fiestas have great food, drinks, live music, traditions and culture, which all happen to be things I love.

During the four days of Carnaval I went to three villages and two cities. I started the celebrations by going out in my home city (Vigo). Carnaval isn't as popular in Vigo, as it is in the province of Ourense, but I was suprised at the amount of people dressed up! I was a cat because it is the typical, "I don't know what I want to be/don't want to spend money costume." I then went to the province of Ourense for the rest of the time.

On Monday of Carnaval I went to a village in the region of Ourense called Xinzo de Limia. I had planned to stay in that village for around five hours and then take the bus back to the city of Ourense to eat dinner with my friends. As I was walking to the bus station, someone called my name and as it turns out it was the teacher who takes me to school everyday. I was actually wearing the batman shirt she gave me as part of my batman costume I wore that day. I was about to get on the bus when my coordinator told me that I could go with them if I made a quick decision. Luckily when I called my friend she immediately answered the phone and said that we could meet in the city later on that night.

I went in the car with Chisco, who a retired teacher who I had met before at the festival of chestnuts. (Magosto) Three students who had already graduated from CPI de Panxón were also in the car. We first went to a village called Laza, where there were a bunch of half naked guys handing out meat and bread to the crowd. I almost went down to get some but was too afraid of the people running around in fancy costumes who were running over people and hitting people with sticks. I even saw two of my friends from Verin running through the crowds. After we had seen some of the Carnaval celebrations in Laza, we made our way to another village called Verin. I had been to Verin many times before the fiesta because I have some friends from there. Although, I had never seen the village covered in flour. And when I mean covered in flour, I mean that one of the main plazas was covered in inches of flour.... Unfortunately we arrived after one of the most famous orquestras in Galicia, Paris de Noia, was playing. I saw them two months earlier and loved them.

Orquestas are very popular in Galica and the people of villages and towns will raise money so that a good orquesta can come to play at their fiesta. An Orquesta is composed of many people who sing, play instruments and dance. We left Verin and at 1 a.m. Chisco and the others dropped me off in Alameda, one of the most popular zones in Ourense to botellon, a term used to describe people drinking in the street in order to spend less money at the bar. I then met my friend who lives in Vigo, but is from Ourense. I met her friends and we proceeded to go out until 9 in the morning (the discotecas still weren't closed) I had lunch with my friend and her boyfriend at her grandparents village and then we went back to Vigo and went to the beach. The next day I slept a well-deserved 17 hours.

Verin (yes, flour is all over the ground)

This is a charanga, and I took a picture of them because I went out in Ourense on Saturday and was talking to them, because it was 4 in the morning and I needed suggestions about where my friends and I could get something to eat. I spoke to them in Gallego and we were all laughing. I then saw them on Monday night, while wearing my batman costume.