Last week I posted briefly about my concern over Carnaval and what to expect over the weekend. I needen’t fear- everything thing was fine, albeit colorful!
We attended a parade Sunday afternoon in our village of Oisterwijk with the lion, giraffe and shark in tow and prepared to see some floats and maybe catch some candy. We experienced that and then some… but for the most part I could not get over the explosive use of color:
The boys are off from school all week and most of the businesses are closed today and possibly tomorrow. The colorful masks and banners have probably been cleaned up from the streets by this point and I imagine most of my neighbors are sleeping off a little overindulgence from the weekend. Thankfully the school has a ‘little Carnaval’ for the kids every day during the afternoon so I can at the very least take them up there to burn off some energy!
Drinking is pretty huge, in fact there were four huge party/disco semi trucks that went through the parade- and in fact most of the adult (adult being 16 years +) participants were drinking. I had to laugh at my husband and I as this was a party that years ago (pre kid) we would have thoroughly enjoyed… however times have changed and we’re a wee bit responsible now.
I am looking forward to the next big holiday here- Queen’s Day. My local expat friend told me recently that it will most likely be a completely insane celebration as this is the year Queen Beatrix is passing on the throne to her son Willem. From what I understand, she and her family are beloved by the majority of the country and will be sad to see her go- but determined to host her a lovely send off. We only have a couple of months to wait- so I look forward to sharing that with you in April!
<——–My Instagram feed has some really crazy pics, follow me @Momofthreeunder!
Did you participate in any festivities over the weekend?
{ 23 comments… read them below or add one }
So fun!!
It was- I am pretty sure the people in the parade were having the most fun, however
Our weekend festivities…shoveling snow! Not as exciting as Carnaval. My husband and I reminisce about those days we were “less responsible” too. Ultimately, I’d say it’s a good trade though.
Hey, we were freezing right with ya
And yes, GOOD TRADE!
Very cool! Looks like you guys are getting settled in!
Thanks Leigh Ann! We are! Now if only I can learn how to cook….
I love it!!! Love the colors, love the globe! It turned out awesome!!
Also, Bean totally squealed when I showed her the giraffes in the parade. They are her favorite animal. I’m swaying more people in this family to make a visit!
Thanks K! I am pretty happy with it myself. byAimee.com does fabulous work!
Those giraffes were mighty impressive- and my little giraffe was speechless
Oh my gosh, so fun! I look forward to hearing all about the royalty in April, too! I know it’s been really hard, but these experiences you’re having, Farrah! Amazing!!
Also, LOVE LOVE LOVE the new look! It’s perfect!!
Thanks Greta- I’m glad- I want to bring you guys with me to all of this crazy stuff!
Thanks on the compliments too- your blog inspired me!
What fun!! And I love the new facelift! Looks so good!!!
Thank you
And it was fun- but man, were we chilly!!!
Great pics. Glad you guys had a fun weekend.
Similar scenes in Oss with the colors and the floats. Some of them were very impressive I must say, not Macy’s parade stuff, but kind of close. That same day we went to Berghem and saw the most spectacular Light Parade. Here are my pics: http://padutches.blogspot.nl/2013/02/carnaval-light-parade-in-berghem.html Definitely recommend trying to find one of these parades next year. So much fun, but so much cold. It was worth it.
The Den Bosch Parade was impressive too. But honestly, I think I was more impressed with some of the floats in our little town. All the bands were great though. I’m going to try to compile all the footage from the weekend into a video. Enjoy the last few hours of Carnaval/Carnival!
Thanks! It was pretty awesome. And you’re right- the bands were awesome.
Wow Farrah this looks amazing! Glad you guys got to experience that. How wonderful.
It was fun! Cold, but very fun.
Wow — I’m jealous! That sounds like a great time! Glad you are getting into the local fun! Not that exciting here. Sigh.
It’s all relative, right? It’s still pressure to get out and do it all when sometimes it’s just so much cozier to stay warm in the house
OMG that looks awesome! So envious! Let’s see we hosted a fundraiser for lacrosse then Lylla got sick and threw up so we chilled! haha Good time!
You can always count on a kid to barf and make it a good time
What an experience! Definitely something I would have loved to do PRE-kids.
Agree completely
I just found your blog–it’s a wonderful read! I think you live quite close to me (Tilburg), although I celebrated carnival mostly in my boyfriend’s tiny hometown in the eastern part of the Netherlands. This was my first carnival experience in the Netherlands, too! I also could not get over the crazy colors everywhere, especially during the parades. Here’s my account, if you’re interested in hearing the perspective of a 23 year old
http://lifeinastateofwanderlust.wordpress.com/2013/02/16/why-everyone-should-experience-carnival-in-the-netherlands/
{ 2 trackbacks }