Bells and feathers

This morning as I lied in bed reading, I heard bells jangling beneath my window. I got up and peered through the blinds to see people walking just a few feet below, dressed in black with odd, feathered caps. The men had black face, like in the old minstrel shows. There were so many, they just kept rounding the bend. My husband was still dozing, and I told him what I'd seen, and that from my vantage I could see the tops of the men's black hats -- painted in white on one was a pentagram, a skull on another. "It's a strange country," he said, and went back to sleep.

Later, I went into the living room and looked out the windows -- there were more of the strangely-clad folks walking on the river-walk area across the water from our building. I grabbed my camera and took a few shots, as I knew I could never adequately describe the scene. This time, following behind those dressed in black, were people in white trousers, red jackets, and white straw hats. They had trims of red, white and blue and looked like masters of ceremonies from some 1950s Fourth of July celebration.

I have no idea what these groups were, but it must be some kind of traditional thing. Is it a holiday? A commemoration of some type? A festival? I have no idea. Please share if you know the secret of the oddly-dressed wanderers!




UPDATE: I've heard that these were Morris dancers (at least the ones in black, still not sure about the others).