Nice Carnival: Battle of the Flowers

Carnival kicked off in Nice today with a Flower Parade, called Batailles des Fleurs. We embraced the sun and the season (even though all the locals were in coats and scarfs).

It is a Flower Parade, so we wore our flower clothes!

Float with giant macarons and flowers at Nice Carnival

There are a bunch of performers and floats, but what is most unique is that the floats feature local flowers that are thrown into the crowd as the parade follows the route. All the spectators get to go home with a bouquet of flowers.

This was an incredible experience because fun and festivities are universal. It didn’t matter that most of the performers probably didn’t speak my language (or that I poorly speak theirs). We smiled and laughed together. We connected on a level beyond that of language.

Joy is universal.

Quirky costumes and pretty dresses at the Nice Carnival

The earliest record of Carnival in Nice is in 1294, however the big parade that Nice experiences today didn’t begin until the 19th century. Nice’s Flower Parade also has it’s origins in the 19th century and is unique to Nice. This time of year traditionally marks the last days before lent, but it is also a celebration of the end of winter and the beginning of spring.

For others, carnival was meant to be a time where the poor mocked the rich and anyone not in a mask was flogged. So we made sure to put our masks back on!

Then we put them on again after dark for the second parade!

We may or may not have had gelato for dinner while waiting for the night parade to start.

The theme of the Nice Carnival this year is Roi de la Mode (King of Fashion). Each float has a theme. For example, the one to the right is based on social media (see the Twitter symbol?)