In Focus | FESTIVE SPIRIT Men intersperse their drunken dragon dance with large mouthfuls of rice wine, which they then spit out creating a haze of alcohol around them. sprays, past St. Anthony’s church. The current baroque-style building is on the site of the original wooden structure which was built in 1558, and subsequently destroyed in a fire. Since St. Anthony’s was a popular venue for Portuguese weddings, it is also known as the Church of Flowers. I trail the parade, sometimes on the sidelines, sometimes joining its raggedy tail, and sometimes using my media access pass to walk alongside performing groups that I love at first sight. However, I have to be nimble so that I am not in the way of photographers or security staff. I have to dodge projectile props and save myself from being stampeded by energetic troupes. Sandwiched between graceful Balinese dancers and a nattily dressed jazz troupe, I make my way down narrow cobbled lanes, flanked by elegant Portuguese-style manors, old Catholic churches, and traditional Chinese apothecaries. I take a pause from the parade to look around this charming historic quarter. I notice that we pass manicured public squares lined with heritage lamps, and brightly coloured shop fronts with intricate Chinese motifs and lettering. Roads are signposted on beautiful Portuguese azulejo tiles and these blue and white tiles help me orient myself on the parade route. We Are the Robots One such sign informs me that I am in Calçada da Igreja de São Lázaro. This is the area around the 16th-century St. Lazarus Church. Among the oldest in Macao, this church was a beacon of hope, built on the site of a hermitage providing care and shelter to lepers. As the parade snakes up cobbled streets, I fall in line with an eccentric looking group from Spain who call themselves the Robots. Dressed in the motley garb of clowns, they look straight out of a steampunk sci-fi film with Tin Man hats, armour plates, and stilts and blades on which they walk, hop, and jump. They are crowd pleasers and their silver painted faces crinkle into broad grins as they oblige young ’uns with selfies, and make little tots laugh with their antics. The moving is sometimes pretty slow but I enjoy walking with the robots as they come up with games to keep the crowds entertained. Occasionally I take a pause from their antics and stop to take in the neighbourhood. This very European part of Macao with tree-lined streets has hidden courtyards, art galleries, graffiti on the walls, a cemetery with marble angels, and a grand old church presiding over it all. The parade also passes by the Albergue da Santa Casa da Misericórdia, a set of beautifully restored 400-year-old buildings set around a courtyard with two massive camphor trees. Originally a charity and home for old women, today this is an eclectic arts and entertainment space: It has art galleries, a Portuguese restaurant, and a lovely little boutique selling Portuguese crafts and food supplies. The Great Gig in the Sky From St. Lazarus, the parade crews take different routes, finally converging at Tap Siac Square for one last blowout. This is a fitting place for a finale. Paved with Portuguese tiles, this erstwhile training ground for soldiers has been transformed into a central public space in Macao where people gather to relax and celebrate different cultural events through the year. Tap Siac Square is where parade mascot VIVA has his “love, peace, and cultural integration party” and where all the crews present one last performance. It is a magnificent celebration and one which all of Macao takes part in as giant inflatable puppets float above the stage like strange and benevolent gods. Below, under the strobe lights, fantastic beasts, and creatures big, small, and weird come together and make merry. On this night in Macao, history truly feels like a sum of its glorious differences. Diya Kohli was until recently part of <strong>National</strong> Geograpic <strong>Traveller</strong> <strong>India</strong>’s editorial team. She loves the many stories of big old cities. For her, the best kind of travel experience involves long walks through labyrinthine lanes with plenty of food stops along the way. The Vitals Macao is a peninsular region in southern China and was the last European colony in Asia, governed by the Portuguese until the late 1990s. The most convenient way to reach there is to fly to Hong Kong, and get to Macao by ferry. <strong>India</strong>n travellers are eligible for a visa on arrival in Macao, and must fill a pre-arrival registration form on www.immd.gov. hk/eng for a visa-free entry to Hong Kong. RAJKUMAR MATHIALAGAN FACING PAGE: ASHIMA NARAIN (MAN & DANCERS), RAJKUMAR MATHIALAGAN (LION COSTUME) 68 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA | MAY <strong>2017</strong>
■ MACAO Macao’s parade is an unforgettable spectacle. The Spanish crew called Robots perform at Tap Siac Square during the parade’s final performance (top left); Two crew members make up each of the giant multicoloured lions that perform their dance to drums and gongs (top right); A group of young dancers form a riveting sight as they gracefully swirl in their costumes down the streets of Macao (bottom). XXXXXXXXXXXX (XXXXXXXXX) MAY <strong>2017</strong> | NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA 69
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