Bright colors. Loud music. Gallons of water. Even more baby powder.
Carnaval.
Or at least, that’s how they do Carnaval at my friend’s site in Bernal, Piura.
Like Mardi Gras, Carnaval is celebrated in the days leading up to lent (though, unlike Mardi Gras some of them continue a few days past Ash Wednesday).
I was fortunate to be able to visit my friend and her town during their annual Carnaval celebration (50th annual actually if I read the t-shirts correctly). On my way, I met up with another volunteer and we made the last hour so trek to Bernal together. As we entered town, we spotted bands playing and people dancing at what I figured was the Church or Municipality. Bingo. We hopped off the mototaxi, found our friend, and immediately were covered in baby powder. I think my backpack still has traces on it. Before things got too crazy, we stashed our luggage in the municipality and walked out only to be squirted by small children with water guns.
Within 10 minutes of being in Bernal, I felt a childlike happiness that I hadn’t experienced in years.
The fun didn’t stop either. We drank, danced, smeared baby powder and had water poured on us until later that night. We somehow found our way into a drinking circle with the mayor who enjoyed covering our faces and hair with the talc powder.
The next day, we woke up and wandered town to find a breakfast party. We ate, were invited to drink (and left to finish the bottles) and danced. Quickly, people ambushed us with buckets of water and dumped them on us. Drenched, we followed the slow parade of people who were marching to retrieve the Yunza tree.
The Yunza tree is very important to a Carnaval celebration. In the case of Bernal, they bring a tree from one of the farms into town, decorate it with things people need (ranging from small buckets to jeans), and then lift it to stand in the middle of the street. In Bernal, there are at least four neighborhoods who host their own Yunza and each one has its own color (with the exception of two green yunzas). We were a part of the red Yunza.
The whole affair was magical and comical all in one.
I had to leave before the cutting of the Yunza tree, which took place on Wednesday. Tradition has it that people, in couples, take turn dancing around the tree and hacking into it to cut it down. The couple that strikes the tree down become the Padrina and Madrina (hosts) of the celebration the next year.
While I left mid-festivities, the party carried on until Thursday, with concerts, dancing, drinking, and innocent fun.
I’m already looking forward to Carnaval next year!
Brittany McGee 