Joyful Noise

The first thing you notice is the hands.

Fingers and hands of all sizes. Gingerly painting a wooden pole. Stirring a brush in water. Carefully dropping beads in a bottle. Shaking a spray can and decorating a bucket in paint. Twirling a lightstick. Folding a delicate piece of paper into a butterfly. Gratefully accepting a noisemaker, since  they cannot join the march.

Busy hands, happy hands, meticulous hands, each dedicated to a tiny task of splashing color, inventing a shape, creating a noise – all of which will add up to the neighborhood procession that culminates the evening’s international festival of rhythm and light.