CARNIVAL FINALE

        Bus #20 from Trieste was packed full of people--many in costume--who were going to watch the parade in Muggia that afternoon. 

       Outside the bus station I could hear the boom of a snare drum and an accompanying live band sounding from the town’s main street. The parade was in progress and I, to my disamy, was late.

       I hurried toward the crowd, finally finding a good spot and edging my way to the front where I squeezed in against the rail and leaned out beyond the intruding heads to view and shoot pictures of the passing parade of floats.

Some represented the country;

others, a theme;

all of the costumed participants playing to the crowd of happy spectators.

Just when I thought I’d seen the best, there came another float even more outrageous than the last.  

Then, to my utter surprise,   a familiar sight rounded the curve in the road, her form resting atop Italy's version of the New York skyline.  It was Lady Liberty

and her entourage of red-white-and-blue-clad marchers paying tribute to the U.S.A.         

Overcome by a  strong sense of pride, and as the lone American in the crowd, I could not keep from showing my patriotism by singing loudly with the band that was belting out Liza Minelli's signature song,  "New York, New York."

I stepped lively to the  horns 

blowing out their Dixieland jazz.

Notice the name Rosella O'Hara on the side of the boat (Rosella is Italian for Scarlet or red.)  

Hooted, then hollered, “God Bless America!” when the smoke-snorting Wall Street bull passed, marking the end of Muggia's tribute to the United States.

          Even in the hour of our fading glory, Italy could still look up to America and all she represents.  I overheard the woman next to me say to her neighbor in Italian, “she’s an American.”   

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         It was very cold and windy that final day of Carnival in Trieste-- not exactly the most ideal of weather conditions for a finale. That was not reason enough, though, to keep Trieste's loyal citizens from participating in the parade that traveled the city’s streets, and appropriately ended in the magnificent Piazza Unita d’Italia.

      

  

Carnival is an experience to be enjoyed by people of all ages and from all walks of life.  

It is a time when one can put aside the norm for a brief moment of outrageousness;

a time to temporarily put down the pressures of life and indulge in an act of fun and gaiety;

a time to let down your hair and be whoever you want to be;

a time to make your cause known;

a time to "strut your stuff!"          

     

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       After experiencing the pageantry of Carnival I can easily understand why it is a year in preparation. The day following its conclusion the citizens go back to the drawing board, planning, designing, and then constructing the next year’s floats and costumes.  It is a collective effort that involves a tremendous amount of time, energy, and talent, culminating in the annual event everyone anxiously looks forward to.  I applaud those hard-working and talented people who make it happen, and I am grateful to have been a witness to their artistic creations. 

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