The Carnival

Autumn is officially here. Time passed by so fast that it seemed like last week when we still planned a lot of activities for the summer.

The supposedly summer of this year was way a lot different from the one I had in this country last year. Who would ever think that the wettest month on record in Britain occurred last June? And it was in this summer when widespread flooding occurred across the country in June and July affecting Northern Ireland, North Yorkshire, The Midlands, Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire and South Wales. Summer is supposed to be sunny and warm, right? In all fairness to Mother Nature, we had a glimpse of beaming sunshine every now and then which would last a week or two and will then be followed by rainy and cold days.

And the last week of August was one of those sunny periods in which the annual Notting Hill Carnival is held. Actually, coming over to London for that event was a spur of a moment decision. We just caught its invitation ad in TV while we were at a friend’s house for a barbecue and having a new Filipino with us (who just came here in England a couple of weeks ago); we all agreed to travel early the next day.

Notting Hill Carnival, a Caribbean population-led event, as mentioned, is an annual event held every August covering Sunday and the next day Bank Holiday Monday. It has been celebrated since 1965 as a response to the deteriorating racial relations. All through the years, it has been viewed as a celebration of London’s multi-cultural diversity. However, it cannot be denied that it is always marred by riots and conflicts with the police (which is mainly the reason I first hesitated in going especially that Zach has a planned tennis game thus he wouldn’t be able to join us.)

On that sunny day, we first had lunch buffet at Chinatown before hitting the cramped underground and headed to Notting Hill where we will be waiting for the parade to start. The festival was not actually new to me as I felt it was more of like our Masskara Festival in Bacolod or the Pasalamat Festival in La Carlota City. It was all complete with street dancing, colorful costumes, residents participating in the festivities even from the windows of their elegant Victorian terrace houses, food kiosks and people peddling booze and grass (yes! grass as in marijuana) as if they were as ordinary as softdrinks and stork candies. Hehe!!! Walking down along Portobello Road, you can find makeshift stages and blasting sound systems just a few meters from each other and with people (wasted or high) dancing their hearts out. It was well-attended with an estimated 1 million people gathering to witness the event.

Dropping by London's Chinatown for buffet lunch and some dimsum

Black and colorful

Festive Beat

A souvenir shot with the performers - with Ate Winnie

They're not all black after all ;)

What were these Orientals doing in a Jamaican festival???