Cascarones

Cascarones

Even before Valentine’s Day, I began to see these delightfully colored eggshells being sold at the market or on the street. They are called cascarones and they are an important part of the main Carnival celebration which falls on the Tuesday, the 24^th of February before Ash Wednesday this year. Unlike in countries such as Brazil and Germany, Carnival is not that big of a celebration in Guatemala, at least not in the Lake Atitlan area. However, tradition has it that on “sad Tuesday”, one takes a cascaron and smashes it on the head of innocent bystander. Most eggs are filled with confetti, so “no pasa nada;” however, more vicious merry-makers may sneak up on you and smash eggs filled with flour on your head. Not a pleasant experience. Consequently, I have been warned to stay aloof from youngsters on the streets with malicious grins on their faces. These cascarones are beautifully and uniquely decorated with paint or markers. They are also extremely cheap; I only paid $1.50 for my dozen. I hope to transport them back to the States without breaking them or smashing them on some fool’s head.

Boy selling them on the main street in Panajachel