Carnival in Aalst

On the Sunday before Mardi Gras we went to the Carnival Parade in Aalst. Aalst is only about a half hour from our house. So, we went a little early and had a picnic lunch in the car (because it was raining.) No problem finding a parking place. We let the kids do a few carnival rides and we all did the bumper cars three times! Then the parade started . . .

Carnivals in Belgium include Giants, like the one of a mayor that kicked off the parade.

Next came the Gilles, or clowns, tossing oranges to the crowds (who seem to then smash them - but we ate ours!) Note the wooden shoes on the clowns! Also note the umbrellas and ponchos - it was still raining!

Uncle Sam and several other political figures were riding ostriches in the parade. Not sure why. Lots of political humor in the parade, but we didn't get it because it was all in Dutch!

There were endless floats, giants, and men in drag. It is tradition to dress in costume, and the men all dress in drag. Full make-up, false eyelashes, wigs, dresses, lots of beer. There were Belgian princesses, men in saris, and even a group of marching Taliban women in full garb! Let's just say no one was safe here!

After about an hour we said "enough." We were wet, cold and tired. So we went to find a treat (German pastries and hot cocoa) and then went to the car. That's when we learned why we had no trouble parking - the parade completely surrounded us. O.K., it's gotta end soon right? After sitting in the car for about an hour reading and watching the world go by, we decided to find a bathroom and some dinner. Found both (and a nice little bar), watched more of the parade, and were finally able to leave 6 hours after the parade began! Good thing we have a sense of humor! In retrospect we are glad we were "forced" to stay for the whole thing...very interesting cultural experience.

One of the floats we saw after it got dark was this one of world leaders, including George W. I'm sure it was hilarious, but again, it's all in Dutch, so we had no idea what was going on. I promise you, it wasn't honoring him, or anyone else. Except maybe the marching group of Bob the Builder - I think that was just too cute.

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