“What’s going on?” A Canadian traveler asks her Australian boyfriend. All around them colored eggs (cascarones) are exploding, circulating their payload of confetti and glitter onto the people warring across the park. Mayan women without cascarones improvise by grabbing fistfuls of flour and throwing it into faces. Children, armed with cascarones by adults, chase people down to throw carefully aimed eggs.
Like the time the clowns ambushed the glitter bears with their sparkle guns, a festive war is waged in Antigua’s Parque Central—the 4th annual Guerra de Los Cascarones.
This year, I wore a Sombrero as a way to shield myself from oncoming cascarones, doing I move I’ve dubbed, “Crouching Tiger, Blocking Sombrero.” Most good ideas come with caveats. The sombrero did function as a superb shield, but it also made me a victim. Dozens came from behind, lifted my sombrero and smashed eggs onto my head. One little boy, with a striped soccer jersey and a mean face, took my sombrero, threw it into the fountain, and then mocked me.
How Did The Guerra de Los Cascarones Begin? Did the Spanish Bring It?
Comic Book Dan’s best pondering is done on his couch. It was from his couch that he pondered what it would be like to live in a train with his dad and granpa (in Outer Space). Four years ago he thought, “Wouldn’t it be nice if every year The Central Park in Antigua turned into a flash mob war with the weapon of choice being painted eggs filled with confetti and glitter?
And as Dan thought this, on the other side of the country, Rusty felt his nose ears and throat itching and he realized that he dream of Cascaron war was going to become a reality.
Kids, when you ponder on the couch, open the windows to let some air in. Think of the dinosaurs once or twice. Spray some Febreze and contemplate the origins of the universe. Think about your life and imagine, what it would be like if you lived it while wearing a bear mask? Is it better, worse, or the same?
If you think your life would be better lived while wearing a bear mask, then get up from the couch and buy one. Dan assumed correctly that all our lives would be enhanced if there was an annual flash mob cascaron war in the park. So he got up from his couch, made fliers, informed his friend and thus was born the annual Guerra de Los Cascarones. If you find yourself even in Antigua, Guatemala during Mardi Gras, then the best thing you can do is come to the park at 4pm with your cascarones. Wear clothes you don’t mind getting covered in fun.
For internships in throwing cascarones, visit Throwing Cascarones At People LLC’s Website.
