Sun shines on the Carnival revellers

by Irene Taylor
AFTER disappointment on Friday when carnival parades were cancelled because of the heavy rain, the sun dutifully put in an appearance yesterday, allowing thousands of revellers across the island to ignore the chilly wind and party. The biggest parade on the island yesterday was along the Playa de Palma, where hundreds of tourists turned out to watch the fun.
A panel of journalists had the difficult task of choosing the winners.
This year, there was a float depicting the “burial of the sardine”, a custom which marks the beginning of Lent. This float did not take part in the competition, but brought up the rear of the parade, and was then burned, in keeping with the tradition. In Palma, children were the stars of the show (adults get their chance this afternoon). In addition to the parade, the city council had laid on a lot of entertainment and games, with the result that it was almost impossible to move through the main streets. There was also a good turn out in Inca and other towns across the island where there were parades.
And if you missed out on the fun yesterday, you can still see carnival parades in various parts of the island (see the What's On page) -- providing the sun keeps the rain clouds at bay.