Mardi Gras!

Last night, Jamie and I introduced Mardi Gras to Policka. We had beads, paint, shiny things, a pinata ( I know it's not Mardi Gras), carnival twister and costumes. We really had no idea how many people would show up, as Czechs are more of the reserved kind, so Mardi Gras exuberance doesn't fit into their living praxis. yet, we still had hope.

I must admit that it was a bit strange getting ready for carnival and freezing at the same time. Usually, the holiday is celebrated in warmer climates where there isn't 10 inches of snow, but hey, it was Policka style. Jamie and I were fitted in home-made costumes: I was dressed in red, yellow and black with shiny, gold accessories, and Jamie was sporting blue, white and orange. It was quite a new experience for me making a Marid Gras outfit, in that I had no real theme like at Halloween; the more colorful, the better.

When six o'clock struck, Jamie and I had only three people at the party. However, those that did arrive early, came dressed up! Micha was sporting the cowboy look, which looked very "carnivalesque" after we added some beads to his attire; Magda came as a red cheerleader, and Pavla was wearing shades of blue and pink. We all had a great time listening to Dixieland Jazz and playing some twister.

Jamie and I were very disappointed with the low turn out; we had worked on this party for months and had advertised it very well. It just seems that people were saying they would go and then no one actually really committed. But, we were determined to have a good time anyway. After our first game of twister, I walked over to the big circular window that looks down upon the road and noticed a few shadowy figures ascending the steps: people! It seems that some students and parents braved the weather to come. One by one, they began knocking on the door and coming in masks (many came in Halloween masks, thinking that it was a "scary" holiday. Well, I guess it can be frightening to some...); we had three of Jamie's students, then an adult student and her little girl, and lastly, a whole family. A sense of relief was palpable...

The rest of night consisted of candy, beads, pinata; more candy, beads and games; then, popcorn, cookies, beads and "crab soccer." It really was a blur of shine, sweet and sound.

Enjoy the pictures!

Also, the student of mine who came with her daughter, writes for the newspaper in the town of Svitavy. She said that she wanted to prepare a small story on our Mardi Gras party; which is great news for us, as now people not only in Policka, but in the surrounding towns, will be able to hear about the fun we are having!

Oh yeah, Madla came as a Bird. It was fantastic!