Fijne Carnaval

Carnaval -- a festivity celebrated in many places, including the Netherlands, where all "social norms" are forgotten for a week. In the Netherlands, the celebration of Carnaval (or Carnival in English) is largest in the southern regions of the country with Maastricht being one of the biggest celebrations. It's a HUGE deal here (like... we got a week off of school to party and celebrate Carnaval!?!?!?). The festivities include wearing the most bizarre costumes (you can literally wear anything you want), parades, live music, and lots of beer and Dutch food. The entire experience reminds me of Mardi Gras in the states.

My friends and I stayed in town for the first weekend which is supposedly when the largest celebration of Carnaval occurs. We hung out around Vrijthof, a large square in the city that was the hub of the celebrations. We left Maastricht on Monday to spend the week in Africa (next blog post!) and are so thankful we stayed in Maastricht for a few days to immerse ourselves into the Dutch culture and experience Carnaval!

Here are some photos of my friends and I at Carnaval! We went shopping the week before the start of Carnaval for costumes; I wore a pineapple onesie and saw a handful of others in the same costume over the weekend!