?Revelers participate in the annual carnival parade in Limassol, Cyprus, on Feb. 18, 2018. Cyprus' southern coastal city of Limassol held its annual carnival parade on Sunday, just 36 hours after a heavy downpour had turned many roads into muddy torrents. (Xinhua/Zhang Zhang)
NICOSIA, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Cyprus' southern coastal city of Limassol held its annual carnival parade on Sunday, just 36 hours after a heavy downpour had turned many roads into muddy torrents.
As tens of thousands of revelers cheered and danced on the main avenue of the city other people were still trying to empty flooded premises of muddy water. However, Limassol residents did not let the flooding on Friday night and Saturday spoil their carnival parade, a century-old tradition.
Cypriot parliament had to change the legislation to bring a two-round presidential election forward by two weeks so that the voting would not interfere with the carnival reveling.
Weather conditions on Sunday were perfect for the event, as the cloud had moved away overnight and the place basked in glorious sunshine.
"This is a great day, we are expecting tens of thousands of people to participate in the carnival. I believe it is going to be the best carnival ever in Limassol," Mayor of Limassol Nicos Nicolaides told Xinhua.
Talking about the first Chinese group taking part in the long history parade, Nicolaides said, "Limassol is a multi-culture city, people of different descents live here. We are very glad to have our Chinese friends participating in the parade, they are a very active part of our society."
According to town hall officials, a record crowd gathered in the city to watch over 130 costumed groups on floats and on foot.
