153rd Ponce Carnaval 2011- Part 1 of 2

‘Carnival Week’ (Carnaval/Spanish) is always the week before Ash Wednesday. A tradition that dates back to Colonial Spain and it’s celebrated throughout Mexico, Central and South America as well as the Caribbean.

A fantastic time to take a vacation!

Everyone has heard of the Rio de Janiero Carnival in Brazil or Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are the most famous, but there are thousands of ‘Carnavals’ going on during this time of year.

In Puerto Rico, Ponce is most famous for theirs. It’s the longest running Carnaval on the island.

Carnaval events in Ponce started on the 2nd of March

A masked ball was staged in the Plaza on Wednesday. Thursday featured a local tradition- ‘Rey Momo’ the king of Carnaval who reigns over all the sillyness. Formal pageants for junior queen and queen were held on Friday and Saturday. The big parade was on Sunday afternoon, ending in the Plaza. And Monday evening featured the Grand Ball of Carnaval also in the Plaza.  Plaza las Delicias

The last day of the Carnaval features more live music, marching bands and the infamous ‘Burying of the Sardine’. In New Orleans, this day is referred to as ‘Fat Tuesday’. Burying of the Sardine will be featured in part 2.

Ponce’s Web Site is Pretty..

I’ve complained about local government Web sites before and Ponce’s is no different.

Lots of ‘Splash and Flash and Java’ without much substance.. slow to load on most browsers and nothing in English. I looked at the page source code and there is no reason it has to be so complex. The English button on the front door only reloads the same Spanish page and most links only take you to a slide show. The Site Map don’t work either. Nor will the site load if you type in VisitPonceDOTcom.. it must include ‘WWW’ to work or simply ‘VisitPonce’.  Otherwise you get- “Error Code: 403 Forbidden”

They did not bother to put up the Carnaval schedule until AFTER the event started. The schedule was listed in the local papers, but that still don’t help those from out of town.

Most folks planning their vacations, from the mainland, should be able to find what they need with as little fuss as possible. Do not make them jump through a bunch of Flash and Java to do it. If this is NOT the site to find out what’s going on in Ponce, then please include a dominant banner and link to where it can be found.

Also, drop the pop-up floating panel intro from the Mayor. No one should have to put up with that more than once, not every time they come back to the site. That’s what ‘cookies’ are for. If the Mayor needs to speak-up, give them a spot on the main page, but drop the pop-up.  BTW- Search engines don’t handle Flash well. SEO?

We (me 1st Mate) called the Mayor’s office to get what info we could the week before. So you know- I’m not privy to any inside information… I’m no better off than the next person even though I live here. This permits me to observe how effective their tourism effort is.

These Web site issues are a problem no matter what. I understand that only one in two Puerto Ricans use the Internet, but the rate is much, much higher for stateside folks planning their next vacation.

Once we got to the Plaza, they were handing out these beautifully illustrated full-color cards with the weeks events printed on the back. A nice gesture for sure, but no Web site listed.  Another missed opportunity.  Arrg!

The Carnaval and Parade on Sunday

I’ve made many trips into Ponce since I moved to Puerto Rico. It’s the closest major town to where we live. I love Ponce. The pace here is not quite as hectic as in San Juan.

It is a beautifully preserved example of old Puerto Rico.

It is hotter than where we live, but Sunday was rather nice. They have an absolutely gorgeous Plaza and today, all the fountains were turned on.

Here’s a hot photo tip- to get great shots of the historic red and black firehouse, you need to get here before 11AM. After 12 Noon, the sun is to its back. It’s still a popular place to get your picture taken no matter when you show up, but keep this in mind. The Cathedral on the other hand, faces the opposite direction and it is best shot in the early afternoon. Both are quite stunning.

Sunday’s crowd was a mix of locals and tourists taking in the spectacle that is Carnaval.

The ‘schedule’ stated that the Parade on Sunday started at 1PM and culminated at the Plaza. Since this was our first time, we had no idea how long this would take. We got to the Plaza by 10AM so we had no problem scoring a good parking spot… less than a block off. By Noon, the Plaza was a very busy place. Though some vendors were still setting up at this point, there was plenty to see. The main fountain is a beautiful piece of work. It makes a great backdrop for impromptu portraits.

A large stage had been placed in front of the Mayor’s Office. Live Latin music could be heard everywhere. Many folks had set up their folding chairs and umbrellas directly across from the stage in anticipation of the talent show.

As usual, police were in full force.

I’m always glad for that. There was a mix of cops on foot, on motor bikes, bicycles, golf carts and Segways along with a sharp looking Cobra Mustang in police trim. WooHoo!

The ‘Travel Channel’ was there collecting video of everything. I’m sure they will get around to featuring the Ponce Carnaval on TV. I’m the guy in jeans with the camera on a stick and camo hat. They were busy shooting the construction of the sand sculpture, being created off a corner of the Plaza that spilled into the street. They were still working on it when I showed up. The sculpture will be a key feature in the ‘Burying of the Sardine’ on Tuesday night.

I had expected a big crowd for the parade and figured right. I brought a folding step-stool to shoot from. Otherwise, I would not have got the shots I did. Several times, the cops had to tell kids in front to get back behind the yellow crowd control tape. The step-stool put me head and shoulders above everyone else.

We secured our spot on the Plaza before 1PM

While waiting for the parade, the sky slowly turned dark and started to rain about 3PM. I grabbed a plastic bag to protect my camera. Me 1st Mate had the good sense to bring an umbrella. It did not last long.. about 30 minutes. We had broken skies after that. The front of the parade didn’t make it to the Plaza until round 4PM. The light was good for most of what followed.

The standout features of the parade were the antique cars, the Ponce fire truck, the beauty pageant queens, the marching bands and the folks in costume, the “Vejigantes”
(‘j’ is pronounced like an ‘h’).

Each of these parade groups would pause and perform in front of the main stage just off the Plaza. Since we were less than a block from there, we got quite a show from the groups about to perform. This also allowed the crowd to mix some with the Vejigantes so cell phones and digital cameras were busy snapping group shots. Pretty cool stuff.

By now, I had been on my feet for several hours without a break. There was still more parade to see, but we decided to pack it in and head home. The light was starting to fade anyway.

About the Vejigantes..

The Vejigantes were the highlight of the parade. Some were like giant puppets, twice as tall as the guys operating them. Very colorful, very impressive. There were also lots of Vejigantes milling around the Plaza, making themselves available for group shots.

Vejigantes are a tradition in Puerto Rico that dates back several centuries. An ornately dressed clown like creature with a multi horned and brightly painted mask (though some attendees have resorted to scary rubber masks). Several Artesanos sell the hand crafted masks. In the Plaza, just off the old red and black firehouse is an artesano couple who regularly maintain a booth selling these outrageous masks. They have been there every time I’ve been to the Plaza.

Traditional colors are red, black, green, white and yellow, but everything under the sun is done.

The Vejigantes carry balloon like balls to whack the public with, but most of the time they are simply looking to harass the young cuties. It doesn’t hurt, but makes a loud smacking sound. These ‘balloons’ were originally made from cow bladders, but plastic inflatable toys have been substituted by some.

The original idea was to ‘scare’ folks back into going to church.

In closing, I want to say I had an absolutely fantastic day in Ponce..
something I’ll never forget.

The ‘Burying of the Sardine’ will follow in a few days…