Madrid Carnival
As can be expected the Spanish capital agenda is nice and full of activities for the entertainment of tourists and locals alike. The annual Madrid Fusion Gastrofestival, a huge food festival for those of you who haven’t finished gorging following Christmas as the name suggests, will soon be taking place, amongst other exciting events. However, we would particularly like to mention that the Madrid Carnival is also on the cards for the 3rd till the 9th of March 2011, and which promises to be an exciting and entertaining event.
Madrid Carnival is celebrated a week prior to Lent and comprises their version of the traditional Mardi Gras Festival culminating on Ash Wednesday. Visitors can expect parades, extravagant and colourful costume parties, flamboyant masks, street bands, floats and a general fiesta across the capital. A rocket is fired to open the celebrations and the highlight of the carnival is a tradition called “Entierro de la Sardina” (The Burial of the Sardine) in which participants, dressed in black cloaks and hats make way their through the streets with a coffin containing the effigy of a dead sardine marking the start of Lent.
This Spanish tradition held on Paseo de Florida ridicules the ecclesiastical tradition of burying the fat to mark the beginning of Lenten fasting. Over the years, pig fat has become a sardine to remind people that they will now be eating fish instead of meat.
Truly a festive, funny, and satirical event whereby the locals take to the street and celebrate in humoristic style thus, if you’re lucky enough to be in Madrid in February, make sure you head down to this colourful celebration
Anna - Marketing Team