- celebrated in late February – the week leading up to Lent
- celebrated in various Spanish-speaking countries
- VERY popular in Spain, especially in the Canary Islands & Madrid.
- parties from dusk until dawn – drinking, dancing etc.
- extravagant costumes and people in masks
- Madrid doesn’t have the wild parties of the Canary Islands 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
sardine and bury it in a coffin!
Carnival in the Canary Islands
- Located off the coast of Africa, south of Spain in the Atlantic Ocean.
- Santa Cruz de Tenerife is the 2nd largest city in the Canary Islands.
- the 14 day carnival is 2nd in the world in size & spectacle after Rio de Janeiro.
- gorgeous girls, televised beauty pageants, stunning costumes and masks,
marching bands, music and dancing, parties from dusk until dawn
everyday.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HQ3G-J-Ldc
Carnival in the Madrid
- the capital and largest city in Spain, located in the center of the country.
- doesn’t have the wild parties of the Canary Islands but there are parades and fancy
dress events culminating in the traditional Burial of the Sardine on Ash Wednesday.
- Burial of the Sardine:
- people celebrate (the day before lent begins) by holding a mock funeral and
burying a sardine (sardines vary in style and size) in a coffin as a way of
saying goodbye to the festivities
A Sardine…really?
Here are some theories…
1. Many years ago Charles III, the King of Spain, ordered sardines to be served at his
carnival party. However, by the time they were to be eaten the small fish were rotten
and it was decided that they must be buried to get rid of the smell. His guests
mourned the thought of burying their free food and starting the restrictive Lenten
period.
2. The people used to bury a pork rib to signify the giving up of meat during lent.
Supposedly, at this time the name for the pork rib was “sardina” and at some point
people started burying a sardine instead of meat.
3. Others claim that the sardine is buried to bring luck to all of the fishermen who will
be responsible for feeding everyone throughout the 40 days of meatless lent.