More pictures and Carnival stories

Brenda and Paula explain more interesting facts about the Antroxu...

"As you know, this week we celebrated Carnival or “Antroxu” as we call it here, in Asturias.

Carnival in Avilés is one of the most famous in the north of Spain and it's got a long tradition.

Students have holidays for four days, but carnival is celebrated during the whole week. It starts on Wednesday with the delivery of the sardine to some “important” people for the Carnival and some speeches. The next day is“Comadres Thursday”, when it is very usual to see women going out to have lunch or a picnic in the afternoon and enjoy; the only rule is that men are not allowed: they stay at home all day. On Friday afternoon little children go all around Avilés with their costumes, and also the last year’s “Carnival’s kings” name this year's “kings” and there is live music at the town hall square. On Saturday afternoon there is the “Descenso de Galiana”, for young people it's probably the best day of Carnival because the have fun going into the foam with their friends, watching the floats and facing the cold of the winter getting soak! And then at night there is music again, but not everybody goes out until very late, it depends on you and your parents. Then on Sunday there are more speeches and a gymkhana car where vehicles and drivers “wear” fancy dresses and drive around the town in a competition. And the last day is the Sardine's funeral: this fish represents the past and the bad habits we don't want to repeat. And after all these crazy days, and though it isn’t as usual as it used to be in the past, we celebrate “Ash Wednesday”. Here people “draw” a cross of ash on their forehead, marking the beginning of Lent, forty days before Easter.

This is a picture of me and my friends Vicky and Liss dressed up like a Russian soldier, a vampire and a pilot"·

Brenda

"Carnival is a very important tradition here in Avilés. It starts on Friday and ends on Tuesday but the most important days are Saturday and Monday. On Saturday afternoon people go to "El Descenso de Galiana" which consists in going down the street, full of foam and really slippery. Later, in the evening, young people, and not so young, go out with friends and wear costumes. Some costumes are very original and people think about what could  the perfect costume be even months before the event! 

Monday is like Saturday evening: you go out in the afternoon with some friends and later you come back home, have dinner and go out again at night. Perhaps the Spanish reputation about parties it's true... We like parties too much!!!"

Paula