While Ourense has one of the most famous Carnivals in Spain, as villages continue with older traditions such as the fariña -- the throwing of flour in people's faces -- more Carnivals are celebrated. I actually traveled to the Canary Islands for Carnival, since schools were closed Monday-Wednesday.
I met another Fulbrighter who is Cuban like me and we both share similar stories of how our bisabuelos (great-grandparents) were from Spain. La Palma hosts a unique Carnival event called Los Indianos, which celebrates and honors the Cuban diaspora and those that migrated to and from both places. In fact, it is becoming more common now that a good number of Cuban people are leaving Cuba and emigrating back to Spain. These people are referred to as los retornados (the returnees), as they are claiming Spanish citizenship in order to flee Cuba and other Caribbean countries.
