Carnival and Chinese New Year
The weather in the Algarve goes on and on being splendid. We are having
a very pleasant winter, if that is what you'd call it. Last night we
had only our fourth frost of this winter. It certainly does get chilly
at night, but the frost doesn't descend until the early hours of the
morning. I looked out last night at half past six. It was still dark
and there was the merest hint of a frost on the roof of the car. An
hour later the windscreen was covered in ice, and an hour after that it
was all gone again. You dont mind it so much when it comes and goes so
quickly.
This weekend is rather busy as we have not only Carnival but the
Chinese New Year as well.
There are carnival parades at half a dozen places this year spread over
the weekend and into next tuesday. The children had their carnival
parades on friday, and in every village we drove through there were
lines of children all dressed up to the nines wending their way to the
village square. Members of staff were dressed up like clowns as well,
so everyone is getting into the party spirit.
Some of the towns have celebrations over the weekend, but others wait
till next tuesday. A couple of places do all three days, and there is
even one event listed for February 13th called the burial of the
carnival. I'm not quite sure what that is about. Maybe I should attend.
The question is, do I have to wear black?
Chinese New Year we will celebrate as we always do at the restaurant of
our friends in Praia da Rocha. They usually put on a splendid show, and
we eat ourselves silly for about €15. I must look out a dragon for the
event, plus a snake. Now where can I get a snake? If I still had my
band together I could raid my drummer's reptile collection, and go to
the restaurant with a couple of garter snakes as scarves. I love the
little things. They are such fun, so inquisitive, and they spend the
evening burrowing around one's clothes, and popping out of strange
places, and they have such a lovely velvet skin.
john