La Vega's Carnival

Hillbilly

Moderator
Jan 1, 2002
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According to official reports, La Vega's Carnival will start on 4 February. According to Fausto Ruiz, the grand marshal, there will be over 100 groups in this year's festival.
La Vega is famous for this event, but visitors should be warned that it can be rough and tumble, and there is no quarter given for women or tourists or other innocents..
You are best advised to locate your person on one of the viewing areas and stay there. the revellers are equipped with inflated pig's bladders (theoretically tested by the Carnival Committee for hardness) that are used to knock out the devil....
These are swung with great gusto and power, so you can well go home marked a bit.

HB
 

cobraboy

Pro-Bono Demolition Hobbyist
Jul 24, 2004
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According to official reports, La Vega's Carnival will start on 4 February. According to Fausto Ruiz, the grand marshal, there will be over 100 groups in this year's festival.
La Vega is famous for this event, but visitors should be warned that it can be rough and tumble, and there is no quarter given for women or tourists or other innocents..
You are best advised to locate your person on one of the viewing areas and stay there. the revellers are equipped with inflated pig's bladders (theoretically tested by the Carnival Committee for hardness) that are used to knock out the devil....
These are swung with great gusto and power, so you can well go home marked a bit.

HB
I got whacked a few times last year. It definitely stings!

I was told that although each bladder is "checked", there is usually one bladder in each group that is hard. Since you don't know which one it is, you don't give any member of a given group any s#!t, for fear of reprisal by the "enforcer" with the hard bladder.

I notices young, pre-manly boys would do "hit and run" attacks on paraders, running out and messing with them, trying to blend back into the crowd before getting whacked.

HB-does Carnival go through the last Sunday in February this year?

Alida also told me the Santiago paraders also do some serious whacking the entire parade route, much worse than La Vega. Is that correct? She hasn't attended one for years because of it. She got stitches on her head once from being whacked in Santiago Carnival.
 

Dolores1

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May 3, 2000
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There will be a preview parade on 28 January in La Vega. I understand the pranksters will not be waking viewers, but they will all be out there.
 

oriole100

Bronze
Oct 9, 2005
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LaVega is great. But if your going to be near the ramp, add padding to your jeans if y our a woman. The masks and costumes are outstanding. We've been to most of the other but the is no comparision.