28 July 2011

Carnival 'U Sciaratu' - the Flying Elephant


In the olden days, there used to be a festival in Monaco where the world turned upsidedown for a day. It was called 'U Sciaratu' (All Fools Day) where men dressed as women and vice versa, a pauper dressed as the King and the 'Lord of Misrule' presided over it all.

This festival hasn't been seen in Monaco for twenty years but last Saturday it came back to Monaco Ville (le rocher).

So, come with me and enjoy a modern day 'U Sciaratu' - we'll see parades, watch amazing creatures writhing in a bubble, be surprised by bushes that move. There are men - 9 feet tall - with elongated necks. The children can learn to walk on a tight-rope, spin a plate, balance on a ball. There is face-painting, balloon twisting and of course there are near naked women walking the streets. There's music and dancing and a lot more not mentioned - but everyone has the best fun. I loved every minute of it. A great day for kids and grown-up kids like me. And you...

To read about this festival dating back to olden times do click on THIS LINK.

More tomorrow...

6 comments:

Pierre BOYER said...

Great !!!


Pierre

Pedro D. H. said...

big butt! lol

Dave-CostaRicaDailyPhoto.com said...

This looks like the balloon floats in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, but without New York City and its November cold weather.

I have been away for a few days with limited computer access so I am just catching up with your recent posts. Your Cap Ferrat series was amazing, and I look forward to more of those photos sprinkled in to your posts in the future.

Unknown said...

For a small place, there seems to be an awful lot going on every day. I bet you're never stuck for a photo Jilly, like I am sometimes.

ArtandArchitecture-SF.com said...

LOL. Your photography is amazing. Eddie Jordan wasn't the least bit blurry, just very, very handsome.

Bob Crowe said...

I think that festival has crossed the Atlantic and is going on in our Congress at the moment.

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