Carnival

The last day of Carnival celebrations is held today around the world, on a day called Mardi Gras, or Martedi Grasso, or simply Fat Tuesday. The idea behind this day is so that people can overindulge and overeat today, in order to start a long fast tomorrow, Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. Carnival in Malta was disrupted for the most part this year, and some of the festivities and dancing competitions will be held this coming weekend instead. The people preparing the floats and organizing the dancing routines and crafting the elaborate outfits were very disappointed when rain dominated the entire Carnival week. 

The only day when a window of sunshine appeared was Sunday afternoon, and that’s when I had a few hours free to venture to the capital city and take some photos of some of the colorful floats that paraded throughout the main streets of Valletta. One feels bad for these dedicated people who spend most of their free time preparing these floats, and it’s a passion they have, passed on from one generation to another. So enjoy these few photos I was able to take, while fighting the large crowds that thronged to the city to get a glimpse of a shortened Carnival for this year.