On March 5th, 2019, I went to Carnaval in Sitges, Spain. Since I am studying in Barcelona, I believed it was important to go to Carnaval to immerse myself in a huge part of Spanish culture. Prior to attending this event, I didn’t really have any idea what to expect. I figured that there would just be a parade in the streets, surrounded by people dressed up in different outfits. When I arrived in Sitges on that night, all of my expectations were blown away. All around me, there were people dressed up in crazy costumes, such as people wearing wigs and masks to people on stilts. My friends and I were shocked by how many people attended this event and how they all committed to dressing up to celebrate this occasion.
There were many things that surprised me while attending the Carnaval parade. The first thing I noticed was that many children were out late with their parents in bars to watch the parade with their families. I thought this was interesting because in New York, young children couldn’t even step foot in a bar. Additionally, the dancers on the floats were mostly dancing the way they wanted to, not really in sync with the other dancers. Their costumes were much more loud and colorful than any costumes I had seen before. The people that attended the parade all banded together at the end of the night to watch all of the different floats and dancers go through the streets. I felt like I was apart of the Spanish culture on this night.
Barcelona Past and Present 