Carnival in Spain

Examples of carnivals in the category of "International Tourist Interest Festivals"

Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Canarias)

Cadiz, Andalusia

Eagles (Region of Murcia)

Badajoz (Extremadura)

The Carnival in Spain is an ancient festive celebration documented since the Middle Ages and with a rich personality of its own from the Renaissance that has been collected in Spanish literature and other arts located in different towns that make up the Spanish State. As in the rest of the world carnivals, it represents a sum of different pagan festivals associated with Christian celebrations, in this case Lent. With a more recent history and approach, the models are known with international rank. from Tenerife and Cádiz. In almost all models of Spanish carnival festivals, Lardero Thursday and Ash Wednesday (celebrated 46 days before Easter) have a special tradition.

The carnivals of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Cádiz, Badajoz and Águilas have the category of Festival of International Tourist Interest. On the other hand, carnivals such as the one in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria have the category of Festival of National Tourist Interest.

Festivities by autonomous community and province

Andalusia

Province of Cádiz

• Algeciras Carnival
• Carnival of Cádiz

Chirigota del Carnival de Cádiz.

The Carnival of Cádiz, considered one of the most famous in Spain and recognized as of International Tourist Interest, along with that of Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Canary Islands), that of Águilas (Region of Murcia) and that of Badajoz (Extremadura). Regarding the origins of Carnival, scholars refer to precedents from different civilizations that, without using the same concept of the festival, have handled objects and utensils similar to those used in Carnival, and recall the remote origin that bacchanalia can suppose (festivals in honor of Bacchus), the Saturnalia (to the God Saturn) and Lupercalia (to the God Pan), celebrations that were known both in ancient Greece and in classical Rome.

• Carnival of Chiclana de la Frontera.
• Carnival of El Puerto de Santa María.
• Carnival of San Fernando

Cordoba Province

• Carnival of Córdoba

Province of Huelva

• Carnival of Ayamonte
• Carnival of Isla Cristina

Although of more modest dimensions than that of Cádiz, the carnival of Isla Cristina has a long tradition due to its origins, people of the sea who once a year enjoyed life to return the following season to the hard life in the ocean. This carnival is more similar to that of Cádiz, with its murgas and comparsas, than any other in Spain and surely follows it in importance within Andalusia, bringing together both regional groups (Huelva, Seville and Cádiz) and neighboring groups in its theater Portugal. A Carnival Museum has been created in the city that collects the customs and traditions of the island carnival.

Province of Seville

• Carnival of La Rinconada
• Sources of Andalusia

Aragon

Province of Huesca

In Sobrarbe, rites, history and fun are mixed to celebrate these festivities that, for the most part, survived unaltered after the Civil War and Franco's prohibitions, preserving their popular flavor. In many towns in Sobrarbe, a large part of this tradition has been preserved through carnival characters and symbols that remain clearly despite the adaptation to new times. There are also numerous references to Carnivals that have disappeared today, such as those held in Jánovas, Boltaña or Broto, and others recovered in recent decades and that show great ethnological interest. In all of them, the important thing is to have fun, dance and enjoy the magic of Carnival.

• Carnival of Bielsa

Bielsa celebrates one of the most famous and traditional Carnivals in the Huesca Pyrenees. The young people dress up as “trangas”, mythical characters that are half human and half animal -generally goats-, which are symbols of virility and fertility, and who are dedicated to scaring and intimidating those who are in their way.. The young women are dressed as "madamas", with white dresses and hats adorned with colored ribbons. They are the representation of purity. But there are more characters in the streets of Belsetana: onsos, tamers, amontanos, caballés or garretas. But there is also a doll that embodies the figure of Carnival, Cornelio Zorrila. During the festivities Cornelio will hang from the façade of the town hall watching the hustle and bustle. After the parades, brass bands, festivals and other festive activities, Cornelio will be "executed", putting an end to the Belsetano Carnival.

• Carnival of Torla-Ordesa

In Torla-Ordesa, Carnival is a black beast, with horns and covered in fur, which represents everything bad that has happened during the year. He lives in Ordesa and is there until "El Tenedor" goes to hunt him down, to later exhibit him, tied up and humiliated, through the streets of Torla-Ordesa, until he is tried and sentenced.

• Gistaín / Chistén (Bal de Chistau)

In Gistaín/Chistén el Muyén is the anthropomorphic representation of Carnival. Like other "carnival incarnations" the Muyén walks the streets with the rounds until he is executed on Piñata Sunday, beginning the Lenten period.

• San Juan de Plan / San Chuan de Plan (Bal de Chistau)

The butlers and madams in San Chuan de Plan are in charge of organizing a party in which the Peirot, a doll with old clothes that is mounted on a donkey, is taken for a walk, along with the rounds that they go around the houses asking for. The burning of the Peirot in the Plaza Mayor marks the end of the Carnival. Before, the butlers and madams will have starred in the “Carnival Sunday” pasodoble, a dance reserved exclusively for them and supervised by the Melitá, a kind of soldier who prevents couples from getting too close.

• Plan (Bal de Chistau)

Plan has a more relaxed and familiar Carnival. This festival is celebrated together with the águedas and it is the young men of the town who organize and carry out the round that runs through the streets of the town and which is divided into age groups. At night the costume ball is held.

• Nerin

Nerín's main character is Carnuz. A doll built with old rags and stuffed with straw, who is tried and sentenced to die at the stake after the dance. Once this procedure is completed, at dawn, the residents go through the streets of Nerín in a loud shearing.

Teruel Province

• Carnivals of Luco de Jiloca, with the carrots and madames.
• Carnival of Villafranca del Campo, with the traditional blueprint on Tuesday of carnival.
• Carnival of Torrelacárcel, with the masks and old ones.

Province of Zaragoza

• Five Villas

In the Cinco Villas we find popular carnival characters in various locations such as the Amortajau from Navardún, the Esquilón from Biel, Longás and Luesia, the Allaga and the Cuernazos from Pintano, the Ensabanau from Rivas, the Hombre del Higuico from Luesia and paint it; the Cobertor de Uncastillo, the Madamas, Longás and Pintano, and the Mascaretas, a common character in many municipalities in the area.

• Carnival of Tauste

Asturias

• Avilés

The Carnival of Avilés or Antroxu is one of the most important festivals in the North of Spain. It lasts for about a week full of activities, contests and performances of all kinds, including on Thursday of Comadres, the "Chigres Antroxaos" (the bars and restaurants dress up), the Carnival Parade, the Galiana River Descent or the Gochu la Faba King Contest. There are also performances by orchestras and current groups in El Parche (Plaza de España).

• Gijón

Festival of regional tourist interest. El Antroxu, in Gijón, are the Carnival festivities. They are celebrated coinciding with the carnivals as in the rest of the Spanish geography, generally in the month of February. The Antroxu festivities begin with the popular Thursday of Comadres and last until Carnival Tuesday. During all these days, costume contests, brass bands... parades, the famous Antroxu parade (Carnival Monday) are held in the city and the party ends on Carnival Tuesday, with the reading of the will and the burial of the sardine. During the days of festivities you can taste the typical Asturian dishes of these festivities in numerous restaurants in the city (Pote Asturiano, Frixuelos, Picatostes...)

Canary Islands

Queen of the Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife 2006

In the archipelago these popular street parties last for more than a week, with the participation of street musicians, comparsas, costume groups and contests such as the Queen Election Gala. Although they are celebrated on all the islands, perhaps the most popular is the Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife (declared a Festival of International Tourist Interest, and proposed as a World Heritage Site). The Carnival of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria also stands out. Canaria and its Gala Drag. Other lesser known are the Mataculebra in Puerto de la Cruz, Los Cristianos and Candelaria (with a popular regional gathering of murgas) all three in Tenerife, Playa del Inglés Carnival in Gran Canaria and Arguineguín, in the same island. Los Carneros del Hierro, Los Diabletes de Teguise and the party party Los Buches de Arrecife, both from Lanzarote; The Indianos of Santa Cruz de La Palma and the Carnival of Los Llanos de Aridane, both from the island of La Palma.

Province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife

• Carnival of Candelaria
• Carnival of Tacoronte (Piñata Chica)
• Carnival of El Hierro
• International Carnival of Christians
• Carnival of the Plains of Aridane
• Carnival of Puerto de la Cruz
• Carnival of Santa Cruz de La Palma
• Carnival de Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Province of Las Palmas

One of the theme nights of the Carnival of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria 2008.

• Carnival of Arguineguín
• Carnival of Arrecife
• Carnival of La Aldea de San Nicolás
• Carnival of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
• Carnival of Maspalomas
• Carnival of Teguise

Cantabria

• Carnival of Santoña

Declared a Festival of National Tourist Interest in 1985, some municipal ordinances from 1883 already regulated it. Famous for its murgas, its parades, its particular burial of the Sea Bream (instead of the traditional sardine) preceded by the Judgment at the Bottom of the Sea, and its day of the villager (or Trasmerano).

• Silence

Castile-La Mancha

Province of Albacete

• Carnival of Tarazona de la Mancha
• Carnival of Villarrobledo

Ciudad Real Province

• Carnival of Alcázar de San Juan
• Carnival of Heritage
• Carnival of Miguelturra
• Carnival of Fernán Caballero
• Carnival of Almaden

Province of Toledo

• Carnival of Toledo

Province of Guadalajara

• Carnival of Guadalajara

Carnivals in Guadalajara last almost a full week, the first acts are big-headed parades for children or invite a drunken bizga in one of the city squares. On Carnival Saturday there is a great parade, where adults participate, in pairs, individuals, or groups, the winners usually get a prize. On Sunday morning the children's parade is held with the same characteristics as the adult parade.

The carnival closes on Wednesday with the Burial of the Sardine, which has been declared of tourist interest, for 5 days children are free in schools and institutes.

Castile and Leon

Province of Avila

• Carnival of Cebreros (Regional Tourist Interest Party)

Province of Leon

• Carnival of La Bañeza (National Tourist Interest Party)

Province of Burgos

• Carnival of Rabanera del Pinar

Province of Soria

• Carnival of Soria

Province of Salamanca

• Ciudad Rodrigo Festivals of National Tourist Interest,

Province of Palencia

• Aguilar de Campoo

(Carnival of La Galleta, Festival of National Tourist Interest)

Zamora Province

• Carnival of Benavente

Catalonia

Like almost any other Carnival on the planet, Carnival is the pagan festival that is celebrated in the time interval that goes from the coming of the Three Wise Men, to Ash Wednesday, the day on which begins Lent.

In Catalan they say Carnestoltes, derived from the Latin carnis qualis, that is, 'private meats', and alludes to the prohibition of eating meat during the forty days of Lent.

On Ash Wednesday, King Carnestoltes faces a trial against the Vella Cuaresma (of which, the Vella always wins), once the trial is over, King Carnestoltes is sentenced to death and the doll he represented is set on fire to King Carnestoltes, when the cremation of the doll ends, Lent begins (40 days in which meat cannot be eaten).

The most famous Catalan carnivals are those of Solsona, Cunit, Villanueva y Geltrú, Sitges, Rubí, Tarragona, Olot, Torelló, Palamós and Castillo de Aro. The Solsona Carnival has a large influx of people on Carnival Saturday due to the typical "Penjada del Ruc" ceremony. The Castillo de Aro Carnival has an influx of 500,000 spectators and up to 14,000 extras, the Palamós carnival has more than 100,000 spectators and 10,000 contestants. The Carnival of Villanueva y Geltrú is the most traditional carnival that we can surely find in the world, highlighting the central act "Las Comparsas de Vilanova" ("Les Comparses de Vilanova") on Comparsas Sunday, where more than 20,000 people engage in a candy war.

Province of Lleida

• Carnival de Solsona (National Tourist Interest Festival)

Province of Barcelona

• Carnival of Rubí
• Carnival of Sitges (National Tourist Interest Festival)
• Carnival of Sallent
• Carnival of Villanueva and Geltrú (National Tourist Interest Festival)
• Carnival of Torelló

Province of Girona

• Carnival of Palamós
• Carnival of Aro Castle
• Carnival of Lloret de Mar
• Olot Carnival
• Carnival of Roses
• Carnival of San Feliú de Guíxols
• Carnival of Santa Cristina de Aro
• Carnival of Playa de Aro
• Carnival of Tosa de Mar

Province of Tarragona

• Carnival of Cunit
• Carnival of Tarragona

Extremadura

Badajoz Province

• Carnival of Badajoz (International Tourist Interest Party)
• Carnival of Quintana de la Serena
• Carnival of Merida

Province of Caceres

• Carnival of Navalmoral de la Mata (Feast of Regional Tourist Interest of Extremadura)
• Carnival of Jaraíz de la Vera
• Carnival of Villanueva de la Vera

• Carnival of Peraleda de la Mata

Galicia

Ourense Province

• Introid of Xinzo de Limia.
• Into Coppers.
• Entered from Laza.
• Inside of Verin.
• Introida dos Felos de Maceda.
• Introida dos Xenerais do Ulla.
• Inside of Vilariño de Conso.
• Entrude of Viana del Bollo.
• Entrude of Manzaneda.

Community of Madrid

• Alcala de Henares Carnival
• Carnival of Alcorcón
• Carnival of Aranjuez
• Carnival of Buitrago del Lozoya
• Carnival of Chinchón
• Carnival of Old Colmenar
• Carnival of Colmenarejo
• Carnival of El Berrueco
• Carnival of Hoyo de Manzanares
• Leganese Carnival
• Carnival of Madrid
• Carnival of Majadahonda
• Carnival of Móstoles
• Carnival of Navalcarnero
• Carnival of New Baztan
• Carnival of Torrejón de Ardoz
• Carnival of San Lorenzo de El Escorial

Region of Murcia

In Murcia, carnival is celebrated in many towns, among them it is worth mentioning that of Águilas (declared of International Tourist Interest and with masks as curious as the Mussona), it is the most important carnival in the Region of Murcia and one of the most emblematic of Spain; In addition, those of Alcantarilla, Aljucer, Beniaján, Cabezo de Torres, Cartagena, Fortuna, La Unión, Las Torres de Cotillas, Llano de Brujas, Lorca, Librilla, Molina de Segura, Sangonera la Verde, Santiago de la Ribera, Totana, Yecla stand out. and Zeneta.

Navarre

• Alsasua
• Aoiz
• Aranaz
• Bacáicoa
• Baztan
• Berriozar
• Burlada
• Cintruénigo
• Cendea de Cizur
• Estella
• Goizueta
• Run away
• Ituren
• Lanz

• Lesaca
• Leiza
• Lumbier
• Valve them
• Pamplona
• Tafalla
• Tudela
• Unanua
• Vera de Bidasoa
• Zubieta

Valencian Community

Province of Alicante

• Carnival of Alicante
• Javea Carnival

Province of Castellón

• Alcalá de Chivert
• Grao de Castellón

• Vinaroz (Autonomic Tourist Interest Party)

There are no exact data on the beginning of the Carnival festival in the city of Vinaroz, in the Valencian Community. The oldest document preserved in the Municipal Archives corresponds to the performance of a masquerade ball that was held in 1871, in which fifty reales were collected, which Mr. Nicolás Bas Rodríguez delivered to the Mayor, President of the City Council, Mr. Demetrio Ayguals de Izco, for charity.

Subsequently and in times of the second Spanish republic, there are already indications of the spontaneous celebration of Carnival, which from 1939 became a prohibited party, with many residents dressing up, counting some wide sleeves on the part of the authorities of the moment, which made this initiative carried out by some neighbors continue.

Arriving until new days and with the arrival of democracy, the Carnival party began to reappear with greater force, being for the year 1983 when the first comparsas and libres began to parade through the streets of Vinaròs until reaching the present day, where 32 are the comparsas that parade accompanied by a large group of free people.

In Vinaroz today, carnival is celebrated 40 days before the start of Lent. Twelve days before Ash Wednesday, the different Carnival acts begin, which will last 11 days. There are many massive events, such as the imposition of bow ties on the banners of the comparsas, the proclamation of the queens, two large parades that are held on the last weekend, different sports, cultural, gastronomic events, etc. All of this will fill an extensive program of parties, elaborated and organized by the Carnival Organizing Commission (C.O.C) and with the sponsorship and collaboration of the Magnificent City Council of Vinaroz.

Province of Valencia

• Bélgida
• Carlet
• Ollería
• Villar del Arzobispo

Basque Country

Alava

• Amurrio
• Llodio
• Salvatierra
• Zalduondo
• Vitoria

Guipuzcoa

• Éibar
• Oyarzun
• Tolosa

Vizcaya

• Bilbao
• Mundaca
• Ondárroa