CARNAVALE IN SCIACCA

Carnavale is a little late this year. Since the resurfacing of the main piazza in town was not finished on time, this being the wettest winter in memory, it was decided to postpone the traditional pre-Lenten Carnival until after the job was done. And so this year we have a May 1 Carnavale, just in time for the strong late spring sunshine, and avoiding the February rainy season.
But of course, it rained last night and this morning and as near as I can figure, we got about 3 inches of rain and hail. There could have been some major damage to the floats! Luckily however, the first parade was last night and we got to see and take pictures of the floats and the costumes, so you get to see the 2005 edition of Sciacca Carnavale. But first, some of the costumes that went with the dancers on the floats, then our friends and their hairdos and costumes.
There were lots of cute little kids and the school floats. I was almost knocked over by a bunch of mothers for getting in the way of the protective rope around the youngest group while trying to take pictures! And there is a lot of “Hurry up and wait” on some of the kids’s faces. But the guy from Brazil in the ornate fruit costume is not really in drag, he just comes every year to show off the newest costumes. Speaking of costumes, there was a display of old costumes and ceramic floats in one of the art spaces in town, so those are there too.
We watched the parade for a long while from Ignatzia’s daughter’s store, so there is a picture of her and her grandchildren and daughter-in-law. And then there is her youngest grandson Marco and third youngest Vincenzo, not to be confused with summer neighbor’s Vincenzo and Giacomo, seen her with some friends on one of the floats. And Gaspare’s son Salvatore-some haircut, no? I noticed the haircut before I noticed it was Salvatore!
Tomorrow, the floats!