Evening star., 1936-02-02

n Y1CE, cTdAICc, TCSA uoAJ
N air of expectancy reigns IN
VI Nice. Gay as Nice now Is,
/ Y its present gayety cannot equal
that which will mark February Is,
when his majesty King Carnival
LvIII with his brilliant court will ar
rive to set up his throne and reign
for merry fortnight.
Nice has been busy for weeks on
preparations for this gala occasion.
There were huge papier mache figures
to manufacture, elaborate dragons,
brilliantly colored heads Of birds, huge
animals of every description to be
created, doats to decorate; and IN a
few days there will be entire streets
to festoon with flowers.
On the night his majesty arrives
huge floral arches will decorate the
streets, and festoons of electric lights
sparkle down the Promenade. The ex-
plosion of bomb overhead will signal
the start of the procession, with hun
dreds of torch bearers, some on horse
back, some on floats, with great
masked figures. pop-eyed and grin
ming, winding through the city. At
last the monarch will be installed in
his royal loggia, and there thousands
will visit him and his court during
the next two weeks, to pay honor.
On February 20 a battle of flowers,
q battle that is as colorful as the
arrival Of Carnival LVIII himself, will
take place in Nice along the Prom
enade. On such occasions stands for
spectators are erected, and a great
procession Of floats, beautifully dec
Grated in flowers, moves slowly through
the city. Both spectators and people
on the floats are armed with heaps
Of flowers, and as the floats pass.
every one pelts every one else with flow
ers. Then, as the battle becomes more
exciting, the people in the stands leave
their seats and follow the procession,
showering flowers the entire length Of
the route.
WHILE Carnival LVIII holds his
wv court at Nice. his spirit will rule
over other lands of Europe as we'll.
The italian Riviera, too makes gay
at this season, and during the days
and nights preceding the end Of the
season there will be masked balls and
a great flower show at San Reno.
all night balls and masked professions
on Capri, and masques and night
parades at Viareggio.
On Sicily, travellers will find some
Of the most picturesque carnival cele-
brations in all Europe. On February
% at Taormina. with its world-famous
Graeco- Roman theater, there will be
. flower show and later a parade OF
donkey carts, their peasant drivers in
native costumes. Hardly changed
from the days of ancient Rome, these
carts still consist of two wheels and
q large square box for body, with
decorative carvings on the inner side
of the wheels and over the entire body
of the cart. Each is painted in glow
ing colors, usually over foundation
of yellow, and the donkey drawing 1t
Is gayly decked out at carnival time
with bright trappings. caps of col
ored papers and plumes Of various
hues. Again on February Is Taor-
nina celebrates, this time with q
cavalcade Of donkeys. their riders in
traditional Sicilian costumes.
CARNIVAL is also celebrated In
- Spain, but the most carnival-like
celebration there comes not in F'ebru-
ary, but a month later, March IL,
with the Fallas of San Jose in VAL
encia. Silk banners float from win
dows, flags festoon the narrow streets,
and the Square of Flowers is
thronged during the week of festiv-
tiles. Firecrackers are strung along
the streets, to be exploded as part of
the fete, and bull fights are held the
last three days of the celebration.
The Fallas, about 100 stationary
floats in various parts Of. the city,
are magnificent affairs, each planned
by an artist and costing hundreds Of
dollars. Satirical efigies, some of
peasants, others of workmen, still
others Of tourists with guide books in
their hands, decorate each one. The
floats are built right in the streets,
often only few feet from homes, but
no matter-at the end of the festival
all are saturated with gasoline and
burned, while IRE engines play
streams Of water over the adjacent
houses