Martes de Carnaval
25-Febrero-2020, Martes. Cozumel
The term ‘Fat Tuesday’ is not a really Latin country thing. In Cozumel, it is simply the name of a bar restaurant on the Benito Juarez Park plaza. In Mexico today is called Martes de Carnaval (Tuesday of Carnaval).
Carnaval troupes have been performing on corners through the city for the last 24+ hours around the clock. Dale and I were awakened to a drum troupe at 2:00AM on a corner a block away. We’d have gone to watch it but were concerned we’d scare the snot out of Sarah if we woke her coming back in the middle of the night.
Faces of Carnaval
Staging the Parade
Float in route to the staging area. 
Arriving
The parade staging area gave me an opportunity to look up close at some of the magnificent floats. Wish the day was sunnier. The floats shimmer when the sun comes out behind the clouds.
Vendors
so many vendors 
walking cotton candy 
I loved the paper mache elote (Mexican corn) on his stand.
Down to the Details
Another round of way to many pictures 😉
Sr Queen 
Dancing in the streets. Kinda like the Radio Shack and Briefcase Guys from the St Paul Winter Carnival 
Sarah’s favorite 
yes, that is a thong on his face. 
looks like it is a bit overwhelming 
another of Sarah’s favorites 
Dale’s favorite 
new friends with Dale, Jasianna and Sarah 
serving tequila shots – for real 
American tourists 
The guy in the tan shorts didn’t realize the carnaval girls were drag until after the picture.
LOL. The parade is coming back. We can tell by the vendor stampede. There was a race to get out of the way.
The parade looks much more vibrant once it gets dark. About 50% of the groups heading north cut out before turning around and coming back south. Some dancers looked as fresh as they did starting out. Others looked exhausted, having given it their all.
tired 
Two reasons the parade moves so slowly: people are always running out and taking pictures with the characters or dancing with the dancers (especially the scantily clad ones).
everyone has a whistle 
front 
back 
unicorns are very popular 
unicorns are very popular 
Crowd shots
Thanks Cindi Trautwein for the below crowd pictures.
Buenas noches
Sweet dreams.
Hechos Graciosos (Fun facts)
‘Mardi Gras’ is French for Fat Tuesday. By its Latin roots ‘Mardi Gras’ means the ‘removal of flesh/meat’. Mardi Gras became a holiday in 1582, when Pope Gregory XIII placed it on his Gregorian calendar the day before Ash Wednesday. It first appeared in North America in the late 17th century with the LeMoyne brothers’ claim on Louisiana. Although carnaval is widely celebrated, ‘Fat Tuesday’ is mostly a South American, a USA (New Orleans) thing and several other places.
The Tobins, we celebrate Fat Tuesday. Un ultimo pecado …… (One last sin.)
The traditional colors of Mardi Gras and the beads started with the king of the first daytime New Orleans Carnival in 1872. “He picked the colors to represent royalty: purple for justice, gold for power and green for faith.
In some countries, the today is called “Shrove Tuesday” after shrive, which means “to confess.” “This refers to the unofficial custom of going to confession on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday as a way of shedding sin and guilt before the spiritual journey of Lent.
The masks worn during the celebrations were to escape class constraints.