Las Fallas

4 years ago I wrote this e-mail:

"Just got back rom Las Fallas and it was awesome! For those of you who are unfamiliar with Las Fallas (and I´ll take bets that's most of you) it is a festival that is essentially celebrating San Jose (it takes place on Spanish Father Day..which reminds me...Happy late Spanish Father´s day daddy) but as with moth Christian holidays we stole it.

Like many Spanish festivals, Las Fallas was, a long time ago in a galaxy far far away, a simple pagan ritual that celebrated the Spring Equinox - the longest day of the year - and the subsequent coming of summer. Basically an excuse to celebrate by burning things! The religious view now (much like most adopted holidays) was added later by Spain's mega-religous leaders. Granted it wasn't that hard since carpenters were involved and San Jose kinda rocks those.

The history goes a little something like this:

In 15th-century Valencia when fall started to come and the days got shorter, artisans and carpenters had to spend the last few hours of the work day working by the light of oil lamps hung from crafted wooden "parots." When spring came the days got longer and the artisans would celebrate by burning the "parots," along with all the other stuff that had accumulated (wood shavings, extra cuts of lumber and random broken things).

Eventually (or purpose all of a sudden) the workers added a creative touch, by decorating the lamp post with rags and a hat, and voila! It was a human! They became called, "Ninot Falla (Doll Fire)". Around the mid-18th century groups would get together and arrange them in a funny scene.

Now they are AMAZING!!! Some of these (basically gigantic papermache creations...but with wax and wood) are larger than the buildings surrounding it, and they often have cute little morals, stories, or limericks around them. Thankfully I went with Brion who managed to translate a lot more than I did (it wasn't exactly in Spanish, one of those other Spanish languages*) They can cost up to €120,000! Its definately instense! Theres also parades, they create a big Virgin (as in Mary) out of flower and change the pattern on her dress every year and she doent get burned ( P.S: Why is there always a Virgin in like every friggin catholic city, I mean I love Mary as much as the next girl, but I think other saints are appearing the the public just gets confused sees a lady and calls her the virgin)

They have music! People in costumes, fireworks...fireworks, and oh yeah fireworks, it was like fourt of july, on speed. I had to take a bus back on Sunday night for school on Monday (I am SUCH a good student) went to school gave a PERFECT presentation in my Prado Art class (as in the teach said he hadn't heard one that good in years!) and then (in honor of Jeff who reminded me to take advantage of everything I could while over here) bought another ticket back to Valencia right after school to witness the burning of the fallas. So worth the 36 Euros let me tell you!

OK, I am writing this in between classes so I shall end it here. Overall had a GREAT time would definitely do it again and am glad that it happened.

I hope everything is going well at home!

Muchos Besos,

Carissa"

Well it is 4 years later and I did go again! Still an amazing time and still glad I did it :) (though this time I didn't take pictures, so here are some from last time)

When they burn the stuff!
BIG fallas
An older one (clearly) depicting one of the more popular political themes at the time

Dunkirk!

With news that I had a long weekend ahead I looked for events on couchsurfing. I quickly located a Carnivalle in the North of France. After finding a French speaking friend (YAY Bertold) we stuck out our thumbs and hitched down to France



Several cities later (including a ride in an ambulance) we ended up in a small city in the South of Belgium. One quick bus ride later and we met our host in Dunkirk and joined other couchsurfers in a local bar.






Now, in Dunkirk the festival lasts THREE MONTHS! Both in this small fisherman town and in other local cities. We went for this one to experience Band of Malo (more on that later).

This is a festival of reversal so be prepared for lots of men in women's dresses and women in costume (somne dressing as men, but most just wearing extreme colors and having fun!). At the bar they play traditional carnival songs and the surfers practiced linking arms and dancing.



This is us by Reuze Papa (he's a giant who the town people all love). He can be seen in the parades usually preceeded by a drum major dressed as an Imperial grenadier and the costumed carnavaleux, who carry coloured umbrellas and sing carnival songs.





After a busy night we rested up and the next day went site seeing around Dunkirk. You can see the stutue of Jean the pirate, the church and a big boat.

But onto more Carnivalle!










The "Bande de Malo" is one of the greatest moment of the Carnaval of Dunkerque, it begins around 3 pm.
All people who participate are called "carnavaleux" (see my French rocks it), they all walk together on the streets arm in arm singing random songs in French (or as I do not speak French ranodmly la-la-laing), and following the musicians with their yellow coats.
The most impressive moment is the "chahut": the fifes play, the first ligns of "carnavaleux" stop walking and basically its like a weird game of tug of war, you try to push forward and everyone else pushes back.

In the end there's a circle of death...(it starts at 1:26 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKHp2azHk0E). It looks really easy, and yet I almost died...my shoe was also trashed over the weekend.

Oh and right before the circle of death in the video they are throwing fish out the window at you....I didn't catch one this time, but maybe next year :)

Sinterklaas

So, what's going on? Carissa leaves the Netherlands and she becomes a perverted racist? Nooo, this is Sinterklaas! He is helped by his little helpers (Zvart Pete is allegedly black because he goes down the chimney...not sure why Sinterklaas doesn't turn black). Sinterklaas comes in on a boat and meets the mayor and all the kids realize how cool their town is! The zvart Pete's dance and run and throw candy and cookies around. This is all paid for by the local stores (like Santa is paid for by Macy's back home).

Not quite what we have in San Diego I can remember putting my shoe outside the door for Sinterklaas when I was younger. Christmas was always the bigger deal but Sinterklaas involved chocolate which made it good enough for me :)

Couchsurfing in the Netherlands has a tradition of throwing a rather large CS party in Rotterdam so Lauren and I found a host and headed off to make new friends.

The first event was a "speed dating event" now, couchsurfing is NOT a dating site, but speed dating is a rather effective way to meet a large number of people in a short amount of time. Since there are about 200 people it was a nice way to get some names. The way the game is played is everyone has a paper on their back; a bunch of cards with questions are passed around. You ask your question "If you really had to pee on a train but the next stop wasn't for 45 minutes what would you do?" and the person responds, "hold it, use a bottle, pee in between the train cars etc" you then write some form of their answer on the back for everyone to read, "He pees in bottles," then you swap questions cards with them and find a new victim



There were quite a few of us sleeping at Hamid's



But really really awesome people :)


The next day we went on a city tour of Rotterdam it was COLD so there was some impromptu dancing to stay warm :)





Some more walking around, and shopping and one yummy beer tasting! But in the end we all went back to Hamid's for dinner and then went onto the party!




All good things must come to an end

Saint Patrick's Day Seoul

Saint Patrick's day in Seoul we went to the parade...it ended up being a lot of fun even though the parade was not quite up to San Diego standards!

Just some pictures:



YUMMMYYY!!!!!!! Noodley goodness

What's Black and White and Red all over?

Well Red for Valentines Day

Valentine's Day in Korea is "February 14th"

Valentine's Day is kind of the opposite of back home. The girls are supposed to buy presents for the boys. So you make (or purchase) chocolate and give it to a guy you like as an expression of your love. Guys prefer to get handmade chocolates and it is then more likely that the girl reallly likes you and isn't just giving you chocolate because she wants something.

White for "White Day" (March 14th)

Now, on White Day, if you received chocolate from a girl you are supposed to return the favor. This means you (the male) are supposed to multiply how much you think the chocolate cost by about three, and give something worth that much to the girl. Normally these presents are little things like cookies, underwear, white chocolate, marshmallows and then something "fancier" like jewelry, or stuffed animals.

Black for "Black Day" (April 14th)

Now, single people of the world UNITE! For we have our own day here. Black day is for people who neither gave nor receieved presents on white day. We all sit together ALONE (but together!) and eat jjajangmyeon (짜장면), white Korean noodles with a black sauce. Its actually kinda depressing and I see many tears, but I dig the 짜장면 so its a good day for me :-)

Ice Festival

Walking to the festivals we found random masks


The crew


Weeeeeeeeee!


Me and an igloo...COOOLD


Pretty ain't it?


Snowman!!!



On a weird sled thingy


Giant snow fish thingy and ME


Me and a giant dancing soju bottle


Snow sculpture


Flying fish...kinda


This cost $4,000,000,0000!!!!



Fish are EVERYWHERE

My birthday :-)

So the day before my birthday I walked to school...in the SNOW!




After school I went to Eugene's where he made yummy yummy pasta alfredo... DELICOUS! He also gave me a hat, gloves and a scarf. Leona brought over a cake. And Tori came all the way from Daegu to celebrate!! At midnight we toasted to my birthday and I was yet again reminded of how grateful I am to have AMAZING friends.




The next morning I took a two busses to get to a winter festival in the north of Gyeongi-do! We all know how much I like festivals, but pictures speak louder than words so here:













Then we went out to dinner in Seoul and had some of the yummiest sam gip sal I've had yet!!! YUMMY