The only parade we (18 Spring Break College Students and two advisors) went to was the cabbage throwing one. I have no idea what it was called. We got there early and I spotted a group, maybe 4 or 5, of nuns setting up their chairs. Since I was a little freightened by the whole thing, I suggested to the others that we should park ourselves next to these nuns. I had no idea what to expect.
I questioned the nuns as to why they were sitting at a this parade. They said they ran a soup kitchen and this was a large source of food for their kitchen of feeding the homeless. They expected to catch cabbages and other vegetables and then would freeze them to use thorough the year. Since we had flown down there and would have no reason to take our cabbage back on the plane I offered to catch some for them. They were thrilled.
You can learn a lot from a nun who is begging a drunk to throw a cabbage at her. We also got onions, potatoes, beads and some underwear. But when they came by with cabbage I would get right up to the float and beg right along with those nuns. One of the other students ended up with the undies, I took some beads home and the nuns had so much cabbage it was just great.
After the parade I watched as a man with a small station wagon came and loaded up all the loot. It was so heavy in the back that I thought it was going to tip the front wheels off the pavement. I wish I had a video for U-tube of all that.