Santa Barbara and what is a cascarone?

We walked down the streets of Santa Barbara last week and found ourselves surrounded by many Hispanic women with stacks of thousands of colored chicken eggs. We live in San Diego county, my husband is of Mexican descent and we've been to our share of fiestas, eaten our share of carne asada and fish tacos, and broken pinatas at our children's birthday parties. We've attended quinceneras, both speak Spanish fluently, were once accused by a house guest of never eating a meal without tortillas, and know that Cinco de Mayo is mostly a celebration in the US used as an excuse to go to a Mexican restaurant and drink cervesas. But here was a new thing. I looked at Andy as said, "What's that all about." He didn't have a clue.
We eventually found out that what we'd observed were cascarones. A hollowed out chicken egg, filled with confetti and broken over the heads of unsuspecting friends and family for good luck. By the end of the day the streets of Santa Barbara were filled with confetti debris. We must have been in the luckiest place in all of California if good luck came for every egg broken. Most people had confetti-covered heads as well.
We had stumbled, unknowingly, upon Santa Barbara Old Spanish Days. We got to see dancers, eat Mexican food and listen to mariachis play La Bamba and La Cucharaca until we couldn't stand it anymore. We headed toward the water and stayed on the coast for a while. While the confetti was interesting and the music nice, the fun of being near the water is always where I'd rather be.
It was only a day trip so we quickly headed back to catch the bus back to the airport; a bit sunburned, tired from walking around all day and now educated in another tradition that we never knew existed.
So if someone busts an egg on your head- don't have them arrested for assault and battery- they only want to wish you good luck. Consider yourself loved.