This week, in New Orleans, it’s Mardi Gras, and in Belgium, we’re celebrating Carnivale.  Schools are on holiday and for three days, various towns host parades and celebrations.  I got to go to two very different Carnivale celebrations here.  The first one Thomas and I went to was in Aalst with our new friends, Reid and Kirk, and their daughter.  (The second one will be a different post.)

Shiny, Happy Parade Watchers (that's us!)

The Aalst streets were packed with people in costume, the air smelled like fair food, and the street was lined with confetti and streamers.  We heard music – from techno beats to polka – all around us. The parade slowly rolled through.  These guys (uh, ladies) sang and danced in unison.

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The parade was a little racy, by American standards at least.  Though I couldn’t understand the songs or read the banners, a lot of the floats seemed to be making fun of local politicians.  Costumes also included exaggerated or exposed chests and behinds.

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Politician hanging from the chandelier

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Costume Malfunction

The weirdest float had Smurfette giving birth.  They even had a fake baby smurf come out of a hidden compartment.

Smurfette in Labor

Smurfette giving birth

My favorite float showed firefighter playboys posed by their calendar month. Though they were not the sexiest I’ve seen, it was funny.

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Complete with strategically-placed star

I recommend checking out some of the other floats and the rest of our photos online:

  1. Dallas’ Aalst Carnivale (40 photos)
  2. Thomas’ Aalst Carnivale (41 photos)

Related posts:

  1. The Gilles of Binche