Carnival, Caribbean & eclipse-style ...

The "Gran Marcha", the main parade of Carnival 1998, in Curacao's capital, Willemstad, was lead by the Carnival Queen - on a float with a decidedly astronomical theme. Some more of the about 40 groups participating here had the stars in mind ...

... but at one of the earlier, local parades, the "Marcha Band' Abao" in the West of Curacao, the eclipse was almost the dominant theme. Most of the groups here were from area schools, where the impending celestial phenomenon seems to have been on everyone's mind.