As soon as Christmas decorations are stored away, most Barranquilleros start thinking about only one thing: Carnival. They begin to craft their costumes, rehearse the dances and plan for the best way to live and enjoy the festivities that take place all over town.
The real Carnival celebrations don’t start for another four weeks. But since this is serious business; all kinds of announcements about themes, queens & kings, and rehearsals, began popping out all over the place this week. Just yesterday, we got to watch El Bando de Antaño (the parade of yesteryear), which marks the beginning of pre-Carnival festivities.
This year, El Bando de Antaño took place on San Sebastian’s day (January 20th), the traditional date for the beginning of the festivities. It payed homage to Barranquilla‘s Carnival queens of 1987 and 1962. Since the purpose of this event is to bring back memories of past celebrations, there were also many classic cars on show in the parade.
The parade ends with the Lectura del Bando, the traditional reading of the carnival proclamation. It is a statement that proclaims that everyone must enjoy themselves, dance and party wildly. Amen to that!
For more information about Barranquilla’s Carnival celebrations, you can check the official website. And watch the video below for a little taste of what this year’s Bando de Antaño sounded and felt like.
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Wow, it sounds like a non-stop fiesta! I imagine the city’s prepping for Carnival again this January–will you be there to experience it?