Carnaval 2013

Today is the last day of our week-long Carnaval (Spanish spelling). Many people have today off as they did yesterday. It’s not an official government holiday but so many people take the day off the schools, post offices, banks, etc. are closed.

The initial Carnaval ceremony sets the tone for the week…the burning of bad mood...this year on Feb. 6. Daily parades follow, the first one being the traditional Desfile de Prescolar (Pre-School Parade). Floats of mystical beings from childhood are full of children in colorful costumes. They say put aside bad humor so everyone can enjoy the light, color, music and joy of Carnaval.

The last parade occurred yesterday…Batalla de Flores (Battle of the Flowers). I don’t know anything about it but Dee and I have promised ourselves that we will dive into the mayhem of Carnaval next year by getting a room at a hotel in downtown Merida to be in the thick of things.  The festivities come to a close tonight with the Burial of Juan—his widow cries and reads his tongue-in-cheek will which he leaves for the citizens and authorities of Merida.

Each out-lying community (Progreso, Chelem, Chuburna, etc.) puts on its own version of Carnaval. Unfortunately, we have not participated in any of them because we’re old. Explanation: Saturday we hustled to the plaza in Chuburna about 9:15 p.m. to watch the parade which was to begin at 9 p.m. (We’ve learned that nothing is punctual in Mexico.) While a stage had been set up, there were very few people around and no sign of a parade forming anywhere. After driving around and asking about when the parade would begin, and getting shoulder shrugs, we headed home. The next morning I asked Adam, a father of one of our English students, when the parade took place. “10:30,” he said. We have not yet learned well enough that time is not a driver of life here.

In our little celebration of Carnaval, we treated ourselves yesterday to a meal at a local restaurant, Los Delfines (The Dolphins), the most popular eatery in Chuburna. We were the only gringos there. One of the reasons for Delfines popularity is the quality and quantity of their botanas.

Botanas are appetizers/snacks that are served free at many restaurants. In most cases, as long as you order drinks (beer, wine, soda, cocktails) the botanas will keep coming. Given the number Delfines provides, one doesn’t have to even look at the menu to fill the gut.

Between the two cups of vegetable soup are the remains of two chaya patties. Chaya, the most nutritious green in the world, is combined with corn meal and fried as patties. Continuing left is a plate of fish ceviche, black bean dip, chips, kibee (patties made from garbanzo beans), brown bean dip, and octopus ceviche. Those and a couple of beers provide a great meal.

We eased off some of the botanas so we could enjoy platters of camaron diablo (spicy hot) and camaron empanzada (breaded and fried). As you can see there was no skimping on the shrimp. I couldn’t finish my diablo so we’ll have the rest on a salad tonight. All that (beers, botanas and meals for two) for about $17.

Delfines also provides a swimming pool, smart marketing and a delight 
for parents and children, alike.