Good food, masks and music: a recipe for Carnaval celebration

By Amanda Blas, Staff Writer -- blas13@up.edu

Last Friday, UP students got out their dancing shoes for some live music and good company to welcome the Fiesta de Carnaval on campus.

UP got a taste of Latin American tradition and culture with a carnival in Saint Mary's Student Center thanks to Movimiento Estuiantil de Chicanos de Astlan (MEChA) and Sigma Delta Pi Honor Society.

"It was a great opportunity for the Latin American clubs to get together," Sigma Delta Pi adviser and Spanish instructor Andrea Castanette said. "They were given the chance to share the culture as a team."

Fiesta de Carnaval was meant to resemble a traditional carnival, or "carnaval" as it is called in Spanish.

"It's a celebration that happens before Lent all over Latin America and Spain that usually involves whole communities," Castanette said. "There's always a lot of dancing, music and food, and it gives them a chance to celebrate and party one last time since they won't get to during Lent."

Fiesta de Carnaval had many of the makings of a typical carnival, including live music provided by the Richie Nav Band and mask decorating to imitate the typical carnival masquerades.

There were also some things unique to the UP extravaganza.

"There are usually a lot of food vendors selling tacos, small appetizers, different types of juices and fruit cups, but we just kept it simple and went with chips, salsa and soda," junior Cris Hernández, a member of both Sigma Delta Pi and MEChA, said. "We also had a dance-off competition where the winner got a band shirt and CD."

But the night was about more than just sharing Latin American culture through its party life.

"While food, music and dancing are all part of the carnival experience, we wanted it to also be about being around good company and just having some fun," Hernández said. "And we really wanted to make it a stress release for everyone so that they are instead filled with good humor and joy."

Junior Torri Ishihara felt the event was a good way to promote Latin American culture.

"I feel like it really highlighted how festive, colorful and lively the culture is," Ishihara said. "The carnival is one of those things you can't just read about in a textbook to understand; you have to actually experience it. I'm glad they decided put it on for us at UP."

While this was Sigma Delta Pi and MEChA's first Fiesta de Carnaval, they hope to see it become an annual event.

"We would like to see it become a tradition just like the Day of the Dead," Castanette said.

Hernández agreed.

"We liked the number of people who came out and showed interest, and we hope to have it again," Hernández said.