Local carnivals - was I dreaming?

We have quite a few Carnivals in local Villages and many of the Sunday Schools have a Carnival Queen & Princess it gets the Community together I think and plenty of enjoyment for everyone.
Hollydaze The Moros y Cristiano's are spectacular aren't they the costumes are made by the members and very authentic,The best one I ever went to when living abroad was in Calliosa de en Sierra a small village inland from Altea they won the local area competition for the best display three years on the run,well worth making the effort to see if ever you are in the area.

I must have been the death-knell to the carnival, which started to shrink alarmingly is subsequent years. however, it was replaced by a river festival, which was wonderful and ended with a huge fireworks display, reflected in the river by the Bishop's Palace. I just googled the carnival however, I couldn't find the date of the last year it took place - but this year it is to be revived! They are mad. Also, the river festival is to be every two years instead. All the participating boats used to travel down the river lit up with fairy lights, it was so pretty.

Thanks Ana What have I been missing?
Apparently the local Rose Queen, which used to be huge, was more of a damp squib with only three floats this time.

I dont think it is health and safety to blame for the lack of carnivals and such, I think we have all just grown out of it. It is all a little bit tugging the forelock at the squire in my opinion, a bit Tess of the D-Urbevilles. We have a fete like most villages, it is a great day, and doesnt involve floats or princesses on floats, more a time for all the village clubs to show what they do, scouts, WI, bowls club, history society etc.

Oh dear janerowena. poor you. The ones I saw yesterday looked about 8 yrs old average and a few not happy.

I have a scary photo of me on a mid-Kent float with my attendants - as the Heart of Kent. It's something I try to forget. It was a horrible experience, I didn't have any choice at the time, or thought I didn't, as I was picked by the Maidstone chamber of commerce without my knowledge. And expected to be delighted. It was very, very embarrassing, around 1980, and accompanied by lots of shouts of 'Show us yer tits Luv!'.

Thanks Ana I'm not too hot on this link thingy.

www.thenorfolkbroads.org/Dwile%20Flonking.html

That link doesn't work Nfk.........or is that the point?

I'm sure gma that you're more familiar with the rules than me - but for those who've never flocked a dwile :-

www.thenorfolkbroads.org/Dwile%20Flonking

DS2 was May Queen's attendant when he was five, dressed in red velvet breeches and waistcoat and a frilly cream shirt. He looked very cute and carried the crown on a velvet cushion. When the time came for the 'coronation' we found him crawling through a hedge! He was that kind of child. He seemed to quite enjoy the day and likes to see the photos. (I must get them out next time his girlfriend is here.)

I was carnival queen when I was 11. I had pageboys and about 6 attendants and everyone was dressed up. I wore a long white dress with a red cloak and lovely large crown and we all walked down the village to the school. It was super and I can remember it so well. A few years ago I went back to see the carnival procession and it was quite sad to see the queen and her few attendants in their normal clothes. Somehow the sense of occasion had been lost completley.
What I don't like to see are sometimes very young girls with their hair and makeup done to extremes and dressed in a very adult fashion. That really gives me the creeps

Lona....you have not lived if you have not flonked a dwile!!!!
I wait with baited breath for Nfk dumplings explanation of the nobel art of dwile flonking!

Nfk "dwile flonking"?? The mind boggles!

There are a couple of parades near to me, Knutsford May queen and also Mobberley (a small village) has just had their Rose Queen day, where it's a huge honour for the chosen 'queen'.
Unfortunately it causes such dreadful traffic congestion that the locals are trapped unless they leave the village very early in the day!

We have some carnivals and processions here in Norfolk. General ending at the local rec with a fete. Where we used to live it was called a Guile and involved a man dressed as a dragon stealing hats and snapping at people. Sometimes there used to be Morris dancing but now it's dwile flonking.

We have one where we live. It's always the second weekend in June and it always seems to rain.

we still have local carnival here in Lancashire...floats,children/dressing up themes...bands etc etc ..but in recent yrs it has dwindled..due to the cost of diesel for the wagons health n safety etc etc .....

www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNbGYRSsV8g

It does sound a bit Irish and reminded me also of the Irish dancing competitions where pretty young girls are made to look tacky . We used to have a village carnival but it died a death, like most village things; a combination of people not having the time and elf'n'safety regulations. On the subject of which, The Gate to Southwell, where the morris dancers walk [or bus it] from Nottingham to Southwell had it's last day yesterday [been going for hundreds of years apparently albeit with a gap also of hundreds of years in between] due to ef'n'safety; Flagg Point to Point has stopped [ditto] and I'm not sure about the Bacup dancers [ditto]. It's all gone bonkers imo.

There are a couple of carnivals here every year with carnival queens and princesses. Not my cup of tea at all but the girls seem to love it. Maybe some of them go on being Miss United Kingdom etc., it's pretty harmless . There have been carnivals like this in Canada and the USA for years, I'm sure that's where we got it from. Or it's from the old May Day celebrations where there was a May Queen and her attendants, this celebration goes back thousands of years.

It's just a bit of fun - can't get too hung up about the gender thing.

Better than the carnival a few years back which involved burning a mock-up of a gypsy caravan - now that did pull my chain.

Not saying there are no positive aspects Stansgran but I am in cultural shock and thinking "what would an anthropologist say about this" works for me

Yes we still have them here in Stockport and surrounding towns and the queens come from quite a distance to be in the parade.I have to say they vary from sweet to tacky.However only this week Stockport MBC has announced that this year will be the last due to financial restraints. Amongst the happy campers will be motorists as the roads are closed on Saturday afternoons for a few hours.

We never have carnivals but I wish we did. After witnessing the Moros y Cristianos in Spain, I really miss going to that. It's a fabulous way of bringing some of the history to life in that way. The costumes are amazing and even babies in pushchairs take part - dressed up too! The brass bands following each section of the parade are also brilliant to listen to. Such a fun day out.

For anyone interested, some pictures of the carnival: https://www.google.com/search?q=moros+y+cristianos+spain&client=firefox-a&hs=s7Y&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&channel=np&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=dA6UU93hKoqqOoPQgJgK&ved=0CEAQsAQ&biw=1280&bih=611

And these are just ordinary, local people taking part. It goes on all day and finishes with a mock battle and the obligatory firework display. Wonderful