Venezuelans get dose of fun picking carnival queen

(5 Feb 2021) At least one corner of Caracas felt a splash of Carnival excitement Friday despite the global pandemic that struck when Venezuela was already years into crisis.
Neighbors in a hillside barrio called Antimano stepped into the street to cheer, shout, blow whistles, and bang pots and pans while picking their child queen for the upcoming carnival festivities.
Rosario Gutierrez, 11, won the honor among roughly a dozen contestants.
She wore a bright red dress and blew kisses to everybody in sight as she strutted before a 3-judge panel.
While it was a simple, homespun pageant, it falls within Venezuela’s proud tradition of producing world renowned beauty queens.
With her title, Gutierrez along with her first and second runners-up will lead a parade of children on February 15, dressed in all sorts of costumes, throughout their neighborhood.
The homespun events played out in a courtyard between humble homes.
More than a dozen girls between the ages of 3 and 12 spent the early morning hours Friday dressing, and doing their hair and makeup.
Some wore fancy dresses, while others dressed in their regular shorts and T-shirts.
All of the contestants beamed with smiles.
At show time, they turned on dance music played through a portable speaker.
Hearing their names announced, each girl rounded a corner into the courtyard, walking a make-believe catwalk.
Their mothers and other observers erupted in cheers, dancing and waving their arms wildly.
At least for a short time everybody felt transported to better times.
Applause flooded the hillside rooftops.
Elena Escalante, a 24-year-old mother of one contestant, welcomed the much-needed distraction.
So did her 3-year-old daughter, Zai Escalante who talked about it for days.
Her daughter woke up at 6 a.m. on Friday eager to get dressed and put on makeup, something that’s reserved only for special occasions like this, Escalante said.
Escalante, a school teacher, is among the majority of Venezuela’s workers who earn a minimum wage that amounts to less than the equivalent of $2 a month.
Neighbors, like her, rely on a local soup kitchen to feed her young family.
Neighborhood organizers said they’re trying to revive this carnival pageant tradition that’s been lost in recent years of economic and political crisis.
An estimated 5 million Venezuelans have fled the nation in recent years, escaping poverty, broken public services and a lack of basic goods.
A bit of festivity in Venezuela is especially needed now to lift spirits and bring a little hope amid tough times, organizers said.
Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro has even approved of such activities.
He recently announced relaxed quarantine measures in the days surrounding Carnival, so children can enjoy themselves.
The pandemic has hit Venezuela relatively lightly compared to neighboring South American countries.
Maduro, however, warned residents not to go overboard and hold massive parties and concerts during carnival.
Carnival festivities in Venezuela traditionally focus on activities for children, who dress up and parade their neighborhood streets.
It’s much more subdued than the wild parades and parties in neighboring Brazil.

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