The only lights are those that the marchers carry with them, a little bulb bobbing, down in front of them from a headdress or mask. The old festival tradition says that the beating drums are to drive away the spirits of winter and darkness so that springtime and sunshine needed for good crops can take over. All of them are in costume. There are app. 15,000 masked participants and 100,000 spectators.
Some groups are in uniform costume and others have varied dress.
The masks, some very elaborate, represent animals, folklore figures, monsters, celebrities. When the last group of marchers has passed the crowd of watchers, they follow the parade down into the city center. Groups continue marching about the city all day long. Anywhere you go, you may encounter six or more costumed marchers with a drum and whistles, playing that same tune over and over. Each clique has its subject, something they will comment on or poke fun off.