We rode to the shore of a beautiful lake.
Its waters were clear and transparent, like polished green jade.
The distant mountains were reflected in the lake, along with the girls picking flowers by its shore.
May was the month of love, and Carnival was the time for men and women to gather and mingle.
The maypole symbolized the trinity of spring, power, and love.
Unmarried girls of marriageable age wore all kinds of brightly colored flowers picked by the lake in their hair and pinned them to their dresses.
Like artists.
By the time we arrived, quite a few young men had already gathered on the other side of the lake.
They shouted at the flower-picking girls, hoping someone would notice them.
I searched among those girls, hoping to catch sight of the moon.
But instead, I heard cheerful music.
Flutes, tambourines, and bells played wildly as someone danced to the music.
The place was peaceful and safe, utterly devoid of war or unease.
Knight Wilkie said to me, "We have a custom here."
"During Carnival, poor people's food is marked at high prices, while rich people's food costs nothing."
"Another is the Holy Spirit procession. Masked poor farmers from the countryside dance as they walk."
"Devils and the dead mingle among them. Passersby have to give gifts to those masked dancers."
"Once they have received worship and gifts, they disappear."
I asked, "What if they are given nothing?"
Wilkie said, "Those dead souls and devils will intrude upon people's daily lives, causing crops to fail and livestock to fall ill."
Poor men often painted their masks to resemble people they hated.
The poor took the places of the rich, and the rich took the places of the poor. Everything was turned upside down.
I watched these unfamiliar local