One of the cultural activities I had a chance to go to was Carnival in Sitges, Spain. Sitges is a coastal town, 35 kilometers southwest of Barcelona. The Sitges Carnival has over 100 years of history and is one of the most emblematic of all the carnivals in Europe. Four of my friends and I rode the train from Barcelona to Sitges on February 25th to be some of the 250,000 annual visitors to the town for Carnival. As soon as we got off the train, we could feel the excitement in the air. The streets were covered in paper confetti and banners and decorations hung everywhere we looked. One of my favorite parts of walking through Sitges was seeing all of the visitors dressed in costume. It was fun to see all of the colorful and creative costume ideas, and I really liked how everyone was excited and participating. The weekend prior to my visit to Sitges, I traveled to Nice, France for its Carnival. I enjoyed getting to see multiple parades in different countries because I was able to witness the cultural differences. The Sitges parade was very interactive and laid back. The dancers in the parade were drinking while walking, obviously having as much fun as the audience. They all wore lavish costumes and rode on top of colorful floats. As I watched the parade, I loved the energy of the dancers and the spectators. The event really portrayed the element of community that is so prominent in Catalan culture. This cultural activity had a lasting impact on me because I have never experienced anything like it in the United States, and I had an amazing time being immersed in the Carnival atmosphere.
Sitges Carnival
Madison's Catalan Culture Experience 