Lazy Eye, Silversun Pickups

Traditionally, the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday is a day of revelry, the last “hoorah” if you will, before fasting through Lent.  Italy, Brazil, Spain and Portugal are all famous for their Carnaval celebrations.  As it turns out, Panama is as well.

In Panama, one day is not enough for Carnaval celebrations.  Oh no.  They extend Carnaval to four days, full of baile tipicos, reinas, parades and water fights.  After missing the festivities on Saturday – I had gone into Panama City to run errands and use internet – Mama Olga and I enjoyed a leisurely cup (or four) of coffee and I mentioned to her that my friends had expressed desires to see the watery festivities that were carnaval in Panama.  We poured ourselves another cup of coffee – Panama is hell on my caffeine addiction – before she beckoned me up to her mother’s house.  She added to bring my camera – so long as it was waterproof.

Before leaving, a friend had given me an old go-pro camera with a waterproof case.  If you don’t know much about these cameras (and if you know my big brother, there’s no way that you can’t), they’re cameras without a viewfinder nor a viewing screen (my host nephew was not a fan), but can take movies, time lapse or just plain photos.

I brought that camera up with me as the family looked sneaky.  They had me sit, offered me something to drink and I thought, for a second, that nothing would happen.  All of a sudden, three of the boys in the family came up behind me and threw buckets of cold water all over me.  I knew better than to dress in actual clothes this day, instead wearing shorts and a tank top – Carnaval is the only time it’s culturally appropriate to dress thusly as a gringa – and soon, I was soaked.

The day was full of water fights and in the afternoon, a water truck came in to town.  Los Mortales, apparently, is known for Sunday Carnaval festivities, and people came in for the culecos (water trucks) from all over the area.  We danced to tipica and reggaeton all afternoon, until it started to get cooler.  I then returned home to shower and change for the baile that night, along with a presentation of the Reinas.

Every carnaval, three or four girls are “nominated” as queens, and with them, they have their own princesses as a court.  After the presentation, the court then danced for us and a group of judges elected the Los Mortales queen.  While there was some controversy with the queen who won, my host nice was the princess to the queen who won, so my family wasn’t complaining.

The next night, we went into El Espino to watch Kimberly again be a princess, this time for the Turquoise queen.  She stood and danced on the large float as everyone in the town followed it around, singing, dancing and cheering.  After the late night the night before and little sleep, I was exhausted, as was Kimberly.  After a sudden stop, she fell off her pedestal, and we left for home almost immediately afterward.  We all stumbled to bed and enjoyed a mellow Tuesday.

Four days of Carnaval is excessive.