El Gran Carnaval de San Pedro
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The El Gran Carnaval de San Pedro is a 150-year-old traditional festival from Mestizo culture, which brought it down to northern Belize, San Pedro and Ambergris Caye. El Gran Carnaval is celebrated to begin the lent season.
It takes place over three days with painting, music and comparsas (street dancers). The first day opens with painting with white powder (normally reserved for children only). The second day follows with red and blue, normally using detergent and red lipstick. On the third and final day black paint is used, which was originally charcoal. It concludes with the burning of the character Juan Carnaval.
Over the last sixty years this tradition has kept most of its roots but diverged with using paint and eggs instead of the traditional household materials.[1]
The Gran Carnaval is a celebration similar to Mardi Gras, and is celebrated a week before Ash Wednesday. It is meant for people to indulge in bodily pleasures that they will avoid during Lent. Men dress as women, and perform dances for money in the street, with a competition to see who performs the most outlandish dance. On the last day of the carnival people flood the streets to paint one another.[2]
