Beware of the Eggs and Flour today

Carnival here holds its own when compared to Brazil. Here the children kindergarten to middle school dress up in costumes. The costumes are similar to halloween costumes here. Some are homemade; some are handed down or shared with friends; others are bought. The are all festive and adorable. There is a parade that goes through all the main streets in Pana. First, the older kids go through town following a car playing music. The smaller kiddos follow. After the parade prizes are given out for various catergories.

The tradition that I think is unique to Guatemala is the eggs, glitter, and flour. Another tick of the trade many mothers know how to do is make glitter filled eggs. I am still not quite sure how they are able to do this. They crack the egg on the top only cracking the top. The eggs goo then is drained out. After washing the eggshell out, the egg is filled with glitter and confetti and sealed up with tissue paper. The outside of the egg is then decorated with paint, tissue paper, and/ or glitter. The younger kids then crack the eggs on each other's heads throughout the day when others are least expecting it. I will say that the decorated eggs, glitter and confetti are quite pretty.

The older kids (late elementary school to highschool) do not waste time on making and decorating eggs. They simply buy eggs and flour. Although it can happen anytime that day, it mostly happens after school. Eggs are thrown, crushed, pelted at others. After the egg breaks on their head, flour is poured or thrown.

As we were walking home from school that evening, we had to dodge and negotiate through several eggs and flour battles. The largest one was a herd of about 20 young men, most already wearing the eggs and flour appearance themselves, running through the streets. They all had eggs in their hands or pockets. They were throwing eggs are innocent bystandards. Kathryn and I quickly decided to walk behind the line of cars parked intermittently along the street. At least this way if they did decide to pelt us, we could run for shelter or duck behind the cars. We were able to get home without wearing egg or flour.

The next day, evidence of the glitter eggs, raw eggs, and flour remained on the streets. They certainly must not have the same caution and awareness of salmoela that we do in the states:)