Carnival in Spain
Of all the crazy Spanish fiestas that take place throughout the year,
there is nothing wilder than the Carnival celebrations in late February. The
week leading up to Lent is a time for wild partying in some parts of Spain when
the country plays host to Europe's biggest and best Carnival festivals.
There are a few speculations on the origins of Carnival in Spain. Most
popularly, it is believed the term Carnival derives from the words "farewell to
the flesh," a reference to the excesses that led up to the sombre Lent. Some
suspect Carnival is derived from the Roman solstice festival, the Saturnalia,
where participants indulged in much drinking and dancing. Saturnalia is believed
to have had the first parade floats, called the 'carrus navalis'. With these
pagan roots, its easy to see why the dictator General Franco banned them for
forty years!
Carnival in Spain is celebrated nationwide though the most raucous festivities
are in the Canary Islands, Cadiz and Sitges. While each town has its own unique
flavour of celebration, they all have a devotion to having a good time. In these
main destinations during Carnival it seems that no one sleeps as the drinking
and dancing go from dusk until dawn. You'll see extravagant costumes and people
in masks everywhere, and in any of Spain's Carnivals, you'll have a lot more fun
participating in the masquerading than you will just watching.
Carnival in Tenerife
The Carnival in the Tenerife city of Santa Cruz is possibly the biggest party
held in Europe. It is perhaps the most like the infamous Carnival of Rio, with a
strong emphasis on beauty pageants and contests of every sort. One of the first
and most publicized events of the Carnival of Tenerife is the crowing of the
Queen of Carnival. Girls in outrageous, extraordinary costumes parade across the
stage in dresses made of beads and satin and feathers, each one more flamboyant
than the last. Keep in mind that you need tickets for many of the competitions
(a few others include a children's Carnival Queen and traditional vintage car
competition), but if you can't get tickets that you can always head to the open
air parties, called the 'Mogollones' by the locals. The celebrations take up
whole chunks of the city and everyone is eager to have a good time and help you
do the same! See Carnival in Tenerife.
Carnival in Cadiz
Off the southern coast of Spain, you'll find a different sort of Carnival
happening in Cadiz. While it's definitely a match for the Carnival in Tenerife
in terms of fun and over-the-top partying, the Carnival in Cadiz is defined by
its music. At any point in the crowded streets, you'll find musical groups
stationed in plazas or in open air carts and accompanied by guitars and lutes.
The majority of these songs are satirical; the people in Cadiz are known to have
amongst best senses of humour in Spain, and the music of Carnival reflects this.
Politicians, clergy and celebrities are all cheerfully mocked, and the costumes,
while still extravagant, have a focus on cleverness and wit. You can find rock
music at the Plaza Catedal and a competition for satirical group songs at the
Gran Teatro Falla. Between street theatre and daily fireworks displays, the
Carnival at Cadiz strives to entertain and succeeds in leaps and bounds! See
Carnival in Cadiz.
Carnival in Sitges
Half an hour southwest of Barcelona, you'll find Carnival of Sitges. With
300,000 attendees, it's a bit smaller than the celebrations in Santa Cruz and
Cadiz, but no one will ever doubt it's devotion to the spirit of Carnival. The
Sitges Carnival is the location of choice for gay attendees and it draws
participants from all over the world. Though you can see cross dressers in
almost any Carnival, the drag talent of Europe comes out to shine for Sitges.
Check out the Rua de la Disbauxa and the Rua de l'Extermini, the famous themed
parades that show off decorated carriages and some of the boldest, brightest
costumes you've ever seen. The last day of the event, you'll see some of the
best drag shows Europe has to offer, so buy your tickets early!
Carnival Elsewhere
If you can't make it to one of these fabulous parties, not to worry, Spain
has several other Carnivals that are definitely worth your time. In Las Palmas
de Gran Canaria there are major celebrations centred on the Santa Catalina park
with few events requiring tickets.
Madrid doesn't have the wild parties of Tenerife or Cadiz but there are
parades and fancy dress events culminating in the traditional Burial of the
Sardine on Ash Wednesday. This marks the beginning of Lent when formally dressed
"mourners" carry a cardboard sardine to Fuente de los Pajaritos where it is
buried in its coffin!
Events in Barcelona are fairly restrained where the return of Carnival is
seen as recognition of the rights of the people of Catalonia after enduring a 40
year dictatorship under General Franco when such festivities were banned by the
state.
No matter where you are in Spain, you can reach out and touch the Carnival
spirit and let it touch you in return!
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