It’s Mardi Gras next Tuesday, and around the world people are gearing up for Carnival.
Being from England this is a somewhat alien and exotic event, conjuring up Rio, New Orleans and Venice, with their colourful processions, music, dancing, and reputation for louche behaviour.
But living in Spain I’m now getting to experience Carnival first hand. And while it has elements of all of the above – an event that has an anything-goes licence – it is more than that too.
There is certainly a lot of drunkenness that goes with the parades and the parties – and no doubt a lot more besides …
But it’s a festival for kids too. They dress up in costumes, make masks, sing and dance and throw confetti, and generally have a blast.
My bemused daughter has been caught up in Carnival activities at school all week long – wearing one of my ties to school one day, an apron the next, having her face painted the day after. And while she (and we) may not yet understand the local significance of it all, she and her schoolmates are clearly delighted by it all.
I’m discovering that Carnival, at heart, is pure celebration of life itself. And I’m sure we could all use a bit more of that.
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