I had been warned by my host family and others that Carnaval was crazy, but did not understand when or what it was. All of February has been filled with holidays, one after another and now Carnaval has come to end it the month. I was introduced to this holiday when a group of kids soaked me with water and some sort of white powder on my walk into town. The celebration lasts four days, starting on a Friday.
Friday: Water is thrown and Balloons are popped
Saturday: Flour is added and Carioke begins
Sunday: Flour, paint, water, Carioke, eggs, dancing, drinking & More
Monday: Gran Finally, Queen is chosen
Tuesday: It may be more relaxed, but watch out the festivities continue!
On Sunday I woke up anticipating a calm day to catch up on writing. Next thing that I new I had agreed to pile into a truck with the family of my host Mom´s cousin. We were headed to Loreto for the festivities of Carnaval. I had seen the Carioke cans being sold on the street and kids walking around covered in the foam, water and paint, but had not experienced Carnaval.
In Loreto, about two hours outside of Tena, I was introduced to Carnaval. We started at a family members house with a Carioke war. Carioke is a water based foam that comes in many different colors and scents and is sprayed out of a spray paint like bottle. Velma had send us with 21 bottles of mostly blue Carioke. Between about twenty of us we used all the Carioki up in approximately two hours. My once white shirt, skin and blonde hair were all turned blue. In the beginning I attempted to wash up using water, but eventually gave up washing off the slippery solution and walked around looking like a smurf, along with a few others who had given up. To continue our afternoon we went by a small store where group members grabbed eggs right and left to crack over other people heads.
To add to the blue body, top it with a raw egg.
The adventures for the afternoon ended with being thrown into a swimming pool full of people. My friend Cristy and I had clung desperately to a large chain as men tried to pick us up. Eventually we gave in and ended up with everyone else in a pool. People were running around dragging others in, painting people, and straying Carioke.
It was insane and surely would have never been permitted in the United States. The pool that was once probably a clear green or blue color with chlorine was now a muddy mixture of colors. Some people, such as myself, were fully clothed while others had chosen to strip only to their underwear. In addition to running, diving into a shallow pool, and overflowing the normal occupancy level of any area that size, there were kids standing up and climbing up the giant water slide.
After a fully clothed shower and fresh clothes we went back to the house where we had the Carioke fight. Dinner was served and we ended the Sunday night with dancing.
