Carnaval is a week of celebrations that happen in many countries before Lent (a Christian religious observance). Each Canary Island has its own Carnaval traditions. Two of La Palma's traditions are Día de la Peluca (Day of the Wig) and Día de los Indianos, which celebrates migration between the Canaries and the Americas.
On Día de la Peluca, everyone wears normal clothes and goes about their normal lives... except everyone wears a wig! Why is there so much excitement about just wearing wigs? It is the first day of Carnaval, and one of the teachers explained that it is her favorite because "La gracia es que están haciendo sus vidas normales, pero con peluca" ("It's funny because people are doing their normal lives, but wearing wigs!"). School became a rainbow of colorful heads, and there was music and dancing.
After school, the teachers ate lunch together, and even though the wigs were itchy, we did not want to take them off! When some tourists asked to take a picture of us, I realized how special it is not just to observe traditions from the outside but to participate— to put on a wig and laugh about it with friends. Día de la Peluca is about more than just wearing a wig. It represents the fun and carefree sprit of the beginning of Carnaval.
