Carnival in the Murcia region

In the region of Murcia, carnival is celebrated in different towns throughout the province, with great differences between some of them, especially among the oldest ones. The most important carnival in the Region of Murcia is that of Águilas, declared of international tourist interest and with more than 200 years of history. In addition, there are other relevant carnivals in the Region of Murcia such as: Beniaján, Cabezo de Torres, Cartagena, Cehegín, Cieza, Llano de Brujas, Lorca, Santiago de la Ribera and Totana. The coastal area, the Campo de Cartagena, the Northwest and the Huerta de Murcia are the main areas where carnival is celebrated in most of its towns. By counties these are the main carnivals that are celebrated in the Region: The Alto Guadalentín region is par excellence a very carnival region, since the most emblematic carnival of the Region of Murcia takes place there, that of Águilas.

For more information, images and videos of Carnival in the Region of Murcia, you can visit the website of A Ritmo de Carnaval.

Eagles

The Águilas Carnival is the most emblematic carnival in the Region of Murcia and one of the most famous in Spain. It was declared in 2015, as a festival of International Tourist Interest.

History

Its roots are lost in the mists of time, as the scholar Lorenzo Antonio Hernández Pallarés puts it in his book "Historia de los carnavales de Águilas" (1998) [2] in said work he demonstrates how in the carnival of Águilas apart from the 11 Carnival practices that Caro Baroja tells us about in his book & # 34; El carnaval & # 34; There are also 3 more that mark the importance and peculiarity of the Carnival of Águilas [3] constituting a total of 14 different carnival practices in total.

In the Oral testimonies of the Águilas Carnival date back to the XIX century, and the first images that were have of this carnival are from the year 1903. Some historical sources date the Carnival of Águilas in the XVIII century, in the reign of Charles III.

In Águilas, a Regulation of the Carnival Festivities is conserved in the Municipal Ordinances of the Town Hall of said town that dates from the year 1886. These Ordinances regulated the hours in which people could go masked, since there was the possibility of that crimes be committed thanks to anonymity, the right of the authorities to request documentation from the masks, not to carry any type of weapon, the prohibition of throwing water or flour into the street or pedestrians who pass through it, as well as not doing thunderous noises.

With the Civil War and the subsequent Franco dictatorship, the Carnivals of Águilas, as in the rest of Spain, did not have a good time in which they were even prohibited; However, some aguileños dared to disguise themselves by collecting small tricks; such as simulating a wedding.

Characters

There are four representative characters in the Águilas Carnival. These are chosen in the month of August after a gala in which the supporters clubs participate. And we must not forget another character who is one of the most representative of all, the carnival fans. They are the aguileños themselves, the people who make this carnival one of the best in Spain, dressing up day in and night out, leaving aside the great movement of the parade, because Águilas known as the Capital of Carnival for its majestic and dedicated parades, they are not the only thing, the Carnival of the Night, it is the great passion for the aguileños in which a great majority of the Águilas census make possible those nights of laughter and theater, through all the streets of the center of Águilas, because the magic of this Carnival invades the hearts of the aguileños, foreigners and foreigners, because whoever comes once, comes twice, or comes three, or comes all his life, that is being a Carnivalero.

It represents the festive spirit of carnival, the ingenuity of the people in their last days of revelry before the arrival of Lent, the fantasy and humor of the arrival of the dates of Carnival. She is known as the queen of Carnival, and she is the one in charge of putting a touch of magic and shine to the streets of Águilas throughout the carnival.

Lady Lent

Doña Cuaresma represents the complete opposite of La Musa or the party. She is abstinence, modesty and seriousness.

The Saturday before the parades, Doña Cuaresma is defeated in a dialectical battle by Don Carnal. Doña Cuaresma grants a week of truce in which the Carnival will be celebrated, to end up winning on Piñata Saturday.

Don Carnal

He is the reincarnation of the god Janus. She is the character who triumphs over Doña Cuaresma.

She gets a week of partying, but she also knows her reign is temporary. On Piñata Saturday he is finally defeated by Doña Cuaresma. In the Águilas carnivals that defeat is staged on the so-called beach of the colony. The representation is made by placing a doll in the center of a bonfire symbolizing the body of Don Carnal while thousands of fireworks are launched. With this act, the defeat of Don Carnal against Doña Cuaresma is symbolized, although that victory of Doña Cuaresma is not final either, since the following year the character of Don Carnal returned to give the town of Águilas another week of revelry, joy, disguise and fun.

Musson

He is one of the most representative characters in the history of this Carnival. This character represents the ancient carnivals of the city of Águilas, when the inhabitants of this coastal town barely had a few branches of esparto grass and tow to make costumes and spend a week of fun.

La Mussona is a half human, half animal character; half civilized, half savage. She represents the duality of all human beings. She has a lot to do with the sea since his outfit must be made of esparto grass and shells or natural waste from the maritime or terrestrial environment. Of four characters, she is the only one that can be represented, both by a woman and by a man.

The opposite character to La Mussona is the musician-tamer. This figure represents humanity and the process of passing from the savage state to the civilized state through control and music. During the representation of this character on the Thursday after the Change of Powers (a gala that marks the beginning of the carnival in Águilas) the tamer plays the role of guiding Ala bestia from the dungeons of the castle of San Juan de las Águilas to the square from Spain where thousands of people eagerly await the arrival of this character to the cry of Mussona-na Mussona-na.

Festive Days

In Águilas, the Carnival lasts two weeks, the important events celebrate the following days:

Saturday of a previous week:

Gala of Change of Powers between the Characters of the Carnival of the previous year and of the present.

Sunday of a previous week:

IX Contest of paper costumes.

Fat Thursday:

XI Release of the Mussona in the Castle. La Mussona goes through the castle and the streets of Águilas scaring children and adults until it reaches the Plaza de España.

Carnival Friday:

Battle between children Don Carnal and Doña Cuaresma, proclamation of the muse and release of the child Mussona. Children's characters are represented by children. Doña Cuaresma and Don Carnal leave from their respective institute or school and walk through the streets until they reach the Plaza de España. While they are touring the town, the people in disguise are joining. Once in the Plaza de España, Don Carnal and Doña Cuaresma get on a stage, have a dispute, and the battle begins. The battle (called War of the Eggshells) consists of throwing empty and filled eggs, then confetti, towards the other side.

Carnival Saturday:

Battle between Don Carnal and Doña Cuaresma, Proclamation of the Muse and Proclamation of the Mayor and the guest crier. The battle is the same as the children's battle, only adults participate. Once the battle is over, the Muse, Don Carnal and Doña Cuaresma give a proclamation on the balcony of the Town Hall. Later, the mayor gives another proclamation and finally, a famous guest makes another proclamation.

Carnival Sunday:

Parade. It consists of a parade that begins at the end of Avenida Juan Carlos I, continues along Calle Rey Carlos III and ends on the esplanade of the Dock, next to the monument to the Carnaval del Ícaro. Infinite peñas participate in the parade, many of them dance schools, and many carry spectacular floats (about 1500 people).

Tuesday of Carnival:

Parade.

1st Friday of Lent:

Parade. Many clubs from different towns in Spain come to this parade to parade.

Performance of Murgas. The murga consists of songs with a comical aspect that make fun of or criticize some topical issue.

1st. Lenten Saturday:

Parade.

Burning of Don Carnal and fireworks display. It consists of burning Don Carnal, which symbolizes the victory of Doña Cuaresma and the beginning of the Lenten season. When the burning has been done, they proceed to launch a Great Fireworks Castle.

Prize delivery. Different prizes are given to the different clubs that have participated in the parades. Some examples of awards are for fantasy, originality, best makeup, best float, best choreography, etc. and the most important prize is the Golden Eagles for the best of the Carnival.

It can be said that Águilas has two carnivals. The Day Carnival and the Night Carnival. In the daytime Carnival, the parades of the various carnival clubs take place, which parade through the streets of the town until they reach the statue of Ícaro, (statue that represents the Carnival of Águilas). The clubs wear outfits full of color and fantasy that they have worked on for a whole year, and many clubs accompany their journey with highly elaborated choreographies. All these categories are awarded on Saturday, after the burning of Don Carnal.

The Carnival of the Night has its most significant day during the first Monday of Carnival; This Monday night, the streets of the city become a hive of people in costumes, where music, parties and fun are guaranteed. Anywhere in the city we can see spontaneous and fun shows starring those who are dressed up, who try to represent some quality of the costume they are wearing, whatever passes through the inexhaustible imagination of these endearing people. The neuralgic point of the night is in the Plaza de España, where a platform is installed for those who want to compete in the different modalities of individual or collective awards, which reward originality, the elaboration of the costume, the best makeup or the show. funnier, etc.

The drink that always accompanies Carnival is the Cuerva, a spirit drink made up of fruits and various alcohols, which has been crowned as the emblematic drink of this party.

Carnival Town Criers

Francisco Rabal, Isabel Pantoja, John and a half, David Bisbal, Anne Igartiburu, Jose Antonio Camacho, Carlos Latré, Jaime Cantizano, Rose Lopez, Pepa Aniorte, Jordi Rebelán, Amaya Valdemoro, Edu Soto, Carlos Baute.

Sewer

After true years of brilliance and splendor, the Sewer Carnival has been losing its brilliance in recent years. The preparations that began in mid-November with the celebration of the Gala for the election of the Carnavaleros who would star in the Sewer Carnival the following year will remain in the memory. In addition, both the colorful night parade of the local troupes and the endearing Children's Carnival Parade, where more than 1,500 children from all the schools in the municipality participated, have disappeared from the program proposed by the town hall.

Currently, the color and joy that characterizes this celebration is manifested only in the traditional Carnival Parade-Contest that takes place on the Sunday morning before Carnival Tuesday. All the local comparsas and many others coming from other places in Murcia, as well as from outside the Region, participate in it. People gather on both sides of the almost two kilometers long Calle Mayor to enjoy the choreographies of the more than 40 comparsas that make up the parade. A jury values the choreography and originality of each comparsa and at the end of the parade different prizes are awarded that amount to more than €2,000.

Cartagena

Cieza

The Union

Portman

The Gossip Towers

It has its origins at the end of the XIX century with intermittencies. A good part of the festive clubs participate in said carnival where the multicultural factor fostered by immigration, as well as the desire to innovate come together in a carnival with a lot of color and a lot of jokes. A simple and traditional carnival, but in which about 25 troupes usually participate and where fun and good humor go hand in hand. The most important Carnival activities include the traditional proclamation and carnival chirigotas, as well as its parade, which lasts only one day and takes place in this municipality as is traditional and characteristic on "Piñata Saturday".

Lorca

The Lorca Carnival is a very austere party that can be summed up in a Grand Parade through the main streets of the City of the Sun, in which more than a dozen comparsas and almost a thousand people participate. Lorca's Carnival is a very austere party that can be summed up in a Grand Parade through the main streets of the City of the Sun, in which more than a dozen comparsas and almost a thousand people participate. In recent years the number of Comparsas that participate in the great parade has been increasing considerably. The Lorca Carnival Festival also has a Children's Carnival and a representation of dances and performances by Comparsas and Chirigotas.

Characters

El Momo, who represents the God Momo, the god of the Party and parody. The adult and child Muse, who represents the joy and beauty of the Festival. The Queen, who is the image of the Festival and its reflection in people. All the characters are presented in a Grand Gala that kicks off the party.

Mazarron

Murcia

Beniajan

The celebration of Carnival in Beniaján has very ancient origins, undergoing many transformations and censorship over the years and evolving until it reaches the festivities that it is today. Thanks to the tenacity of the peñas, comparsas and chirigotas, today they are perhaps the most participatory festivals of all those held in the town and the ones that attract the most visitors.

During these days there are traditional masked balls, colorful parades of comparsas, costume contests... and the frenetic rhythm of music completely takes over the streets of the town, inviting everyone to the party. Some acts deserve a special mention, such as the Proclamation and the Coronation of the Muses, the eldest queen and the infantile queen who will preside over the carnival celebrations. Also the Battle between Don Carnal and Doña Cuaresma, a dialectical fight in which the victory of the former gives way to the party. The chirigotas take the stage with their songs and mocking lyrics, always standing out the performance of the famous local groups. One of the chirigotas of this municipality has come to participate in the Cádiz Carnival group contest, which is held annually at the Gran Teatro Falla.

Among the parades, the one that is celebrated on the afternoon of Carnival Sunday stands out, a big day for the people of Beniajan and in which the troupes dress in their best clothes. One of the most traditional events held in Beniaján is the "exit of masks", a centenary act that takes place the night before Ash Wednesday and in which the inhabitants invade the old town disguised at the old-fashioned, haphazardly. The Piñata Dance, also celebrated in Beniaján since time immemorial, closes the carnival festivities with a flourish; it is then when Doña Cuaresma finally defeats Don Carnal, giving way to the rigor and sobriety preceding Holy Week.

Torres Head

Of Regional Tourist Interest since 1986, the Cabezo de Torres Carnival Festivities have 129 years of history, they are totally characteristic carnivals and very popular with people from all over the region. Its groups and comparsas, always in a joking and somewhat spicy tone, take to the streets their finery on several successive days, highlighting the Carnival Tuesday parade

Plain of Bruges

The Llano de Brujas Carnival is the most important festival in the town and also the oldest of all those celebrated in the Murcian district. With its more than 100 years of history, it boasts of being one of the oldest Carnivals in the Region. This is a very popular festival in the province of Murcia, the population becoming a coming and going of people from all over the Region during the days of celebration. Carnival is a festival with a long tradition in Llano de Brujas, its history dates back to the beginning of the XIX century, since There is evidence of the celebration of this festival back in 1818, when in the then Village of Realengo in El Llano de las Arenas Brujas, before the beginning of Lent, the Carnestoladas, the name given to the Carnival Festival at that time.. The Carnival evolved until it became what it is today, a rigorous parade of Comparsas, in which they wear their best clothes and show their sacrifice throughout the year with their wonderful choreography. But before becoming what this festival is today, our district has attended this festival throughout history with numerous changes. From the old Carnestoladas, our Carnival was renamed the Masquerades at the end of the 1800s, although with a different name, these parties were the same, because in them basically the inhabitants of this district put masks on their faces and went dancing and walking around town scaring people. Little by little this festival evolved so that at the beginning of the 1900s it was renamed Las Máscaras, in which the residents dressed as colorful characters and danced and sang songs in which things were claimed and mocked acts of the politics or neighbors that had occurred that year. Later, already in Franco's time, the Masks became Los Bailes de Disfraces, in which the residents dressed up and danced to the sound of music in the town squares. The Carnival, as it is today, began to be known in the 70s, when the mayor at that time Juan Hernández Pardo decided to hold a parade of comparsas, floats and brass bands to animate the town, residents and visitors. Currently the town has a large number of comparsas and participants, each year about 20 comparsas usually parade through the streets of the town, including those from the town, foreigners and guests. The great parade is celebrated on the so-called Piñata Sunday, the Sunday following Ash Wednesday. This, therefore, is the date set for the streets and squares of the Huerta town to be filled with brass bands, comparsas, dances and music and for its neighbors to play for a day at being the most diverse characters. Carnival is the most important festival in the town and also the most old of how many are celebrated in the Murcian district. With its 200-year history, it boasts of being the oldest carnival in the municipality of Murcia and one of the oldest in the Region. This is a very popular festival in the province of Murcia, becoming the population in a coming and going of people from all over the Region during the days of celebration. The history of the carnival in this town goes back to the beginning of the XIX century, believing its origin around 1819, when there is evidence of the existence of a small hamlet in the then Aldea de Realengo del Plain of the Witches Sands. During this century, the carnival was characterized by the use of old clothes and rags and for the piñata dances celebrated by the wealthy of the location. In those years the party consisted of the representation of ghosts, monsters and horrendous creatures by some neighbors, who They dressed in rags, sheets, rags and sacks, covering their entire body and head. expensive. These creatures came out at dusk scaring the neighbors in their houses and through the streets and paths of the orchard, and shouting "you don't know me" They bothered the neighbors. These characters even went so far as to give them small blows to the neighbors and friends who did not disguise themselves with rods, sticks or rubber bands, or else they threw the typical azulete at those who didn't know them. This azulete was the ash from the fireplaces that was reused for these acts. The party remained intact for more than 80 years, perhaps with some changes in clothing or rituals, which are even known to these neighbors dressed as ghosts, at dusk, with a lamp they wandered through the streets and paths until reaching the cemetery, making the most small the existence of souls in pain. So this party was, in its beginnings, a very austere celebration, but it was taking root in the culture of the town and becoming better known with the passing of the years. It was createdee that this type of celebration and clothing has its origin and origin in the Basque and Catalan culture, among other areas of the north of Spain, since the lands that in those years belonged to Llano de Brujas They were repopulated by people from those areas. In the 40s of the XIX century or even earlier, it is known that the marquises, counts and wealthy, what in Llano de Brujas was known as the señoritos and who resided in the area known as Rincón de San Antón, requested the Parish of Llano de Brujas the celebration of carnival dances, just the weekend following Ash Wednesday, by which time they were already Carnival celebrations are prohibited because they are Lent times. This request was denied by the Church, however, the wealthy They requested it again, but with the addition that attendees would have to donate alms, known as a bull, to the Church in order to be able to stay in peace with the most high Now yes, the Church gave its authorization and they were able to celebrated these dances that were called "piñata dances", this being the name by which it is known, to the dates, in which the Carnival is celebrated currently in Llano de Brujas. Many times these piñata dances are They were even more behind in time since, as is known, Holy Week and the carnival are linked in time and sometimes these festivities are brought forward or late on schedule. When the carnival fell at the beginning of February, the piñata dances were delayed until well into the month of March due to the cold and Bad weather it used to be in February. Some of the names of these gentlemen were; the Sanchez, the Paquitos, the Cananas, the Casanovas and also the Marqués de Rozalejo. Every year these señoritos met to celebrate the piñata dances in a different house. TO These parties used to invite their wealthy friends from the capital, where they they included merchants and the political class. The common people tried to imitate these dances of piñata, which, years later, would be called “bid dances”. Around 1900 this festival took on a different rhythm, since the old representation of creatures and beasts and piñata dances, is now joined by the creation of murgas, which are the antecedent of the current carnival parades.

The pujas dances were so called since they rot

paying a handout to the church to dance between men and women The piñata dances. It is known that even women and men They were married dancing with other people. During these dances that were held on the nights of the cold winter, neighbors took the carnival star drink, the so-called “lechanis”. Lechanis is a drink composed of milk and strong anise, this served for warm up next to the bonfires in the coldest nights. The murgas are what we know today as chirigotas, but that in land of Witches were known with that name. The murga groups sang ridiculous and mocking songs to acts of neighbors and authorities or to events that occurred during the previous year. With the music that drew guitars and bandurrias, the voices of the members of every murga they walked through the streets and joined the old snails they were still celebrating. All these murga groups not only came from Llano de Brujas, but also from were joined by groups of other nearby villages, which administratively they belonged to Llano de Bruges or were related for economic reasons to the population. So it is said that a Regional Contest of Murgas was organized, from El Esparragal, El Campillo, Monteagudo, Cobatillas, Santomera, Beniajan, El Bojal, Cabezo de Torres, Alquerías, Puente Tocinos, Torreagüera, Santa Cruz, Casillas, Zarandona and the Llano de Brujas. These murgas, which are also known as cloaks, were formed by very well-known people in Llano de Brujas, as are the Poet Francisco Sánchez Bautista, who has an internationally known literary award, and also the musician Julián “El Cámaras”. Sánchez Bautista He was in charge of writing the letters and Julián of composing the melody. Some of the names of the murgas of the town were the Roses of Santa Cruz, the Zurdos, the Navarros and the Forcas of the riverbank. There was also another murga of the neighbors of the town. The murgas delivered papers called prospects where they were going written the lyrics of the songs they interpreted and competed among them to see what the most beautiful and original song was. The murgas festival was held during the weekend of carnival, but in order not to match it with other passages of other localities Cabezo de Torres and Beniaján, it was decided to pass this celebration at the end of the Pineapple week. A lot of neighbors were still wearing at night to scare the people. These scares and forms of disguise, sometimes used to commit thefts and murders, so around 1930 were banned Carnival parties. Still, a group of neighbors still wore the night Monday and Tuesday carnival, but with this ban the old party was losing strength and murgas advanced to the competition to see what was the main act of carnival. It tells the story that a group of vandals from Alcheria and Orihuela for one night tried to steal the wheat and barley that stored the people to trade, and when they heard of the fact, the Serene warning the pastor, who made the bells ring to warn the neighbors of the crime, who went out dressed with the harapos that kept the carnival and they scared the offenders who mutinied in the Church and until they the Guardia Civil did not come out of it. That night many neighbors slept in the dungeons next to the thieves for the simple fact disguise yourself. This fact deplored the neighbors, as for 15 years He saw no one dressed like that in the Carnival. The murgas continued to celebrate and the costumes began to be face to face discovered. In the 1950s, one of the local chambers began to make a parade where its members were assembled in cars and that it was from back and forth so today is the Calle Mayor (formerly Camino de Orihuela) between the Vereda de Solís and the Cruce de El Raal, stopping at the different sales that existed to take a snack and encourage customers of them. This group was joined by many others starting like this traditional parades, where the neighbors had fun and laughed at these Hundreds of people go through these parades through the Main Street. During the 1960s, this type of carnival has a great boom thanks to the Felician family. Over the 1950s the known masks returned, the old snatched, who once again scared the neighbors during the nights of Monday and Tuesday of carnival, on this occasion were the children who were They disguised. It is at this time when the first shares and contemporary parades. The Carnival as we know it today begins in the 1970s last century when the known as Pepe Rosa, the Christ, Paco the Demon and Serrano the Feo, they organized a railroad that went through the main street and where such feats are reported as two people from one they were pulling out of a car where a donkey was assembled, on top of the donkey there was another person with a child, who were making mischiefs neighbors present at the parade. Most costumes of this time used to be women since the They were mostly men. Also in the 1970s, we must emphasize that the mayor of then, Don Juan Hernández Pardo, decides to organize a Big Compassionate Parade, charangas and floats during the festivities where the neighbors who disguised themselves as carnival. For two or three years, the parade floats and carnival were competing with each other, but finally the Carnival parades won the battle. During the 1980s, the first chambers begin to be called names like “Los Palmiros”. These first chambers paraded to the the bands of music and the charangas and were evolving to the splendid costumes with feathers or different characters that today travel through streets of the town. At the end of the '80s they end up losing old masks and murgas and began to create chambers that have come to this day as “The Arrimaos”, being the oldest of those who parade today with more than 30 years of history. The compartments were also joined dance academies like the one of Angels Murcia, having this also more of 25 years of history in the parades. Other shares of the time are “The Salaos”, “Las Flamingas”, “Las mejor que nunca”, etc. These compartments they paraded in the so-called Saturday of Piñata, then moved to Sunday of Piñata not to match the parades with those of the rest of the populations. During the 1990s and early 2000, the party takes a great strength, due to the creation of an Association to organize the events of the celebration. By the end of the 1990s more than 20 existed in the town shares and so many outside the same that paraded in the Great Piñata Sunday Parade In 2006, the Carnival Association, chaired by Don Antonio Ruiz, was dissolves to give way to a few years of decadence, which, together with the crisis caused the disappearance of many chambers, even so, parades continued to be organized thanks to the collaboration of the Board Municipal and the Festival Commission, but with a lower number compartments. Today and since 2014, the new Carnival Association, chaired by Don José Antonio Amaya, has taken the reins of the organization of the and with it the Carnival has regained the strength lost during the years decay. Currently the activities offered by the Carnival range from the Pregón to the three great parades that run through the streets of the paedia, passing for children's parties, costumes and other events organized, including the Arenas Bruja’s, a spectacular event where they merge sport, music and color. The Great Mascot and Carnival Parade of Harapos opens programming of the so-called “Piñata Weekend” and already from the first Friday afternoon-night, the streets of Llano de Brujas begin fill in costumes, music, color and fun. This parade follows the Choreographs Competition and the Piñata Dance, where neighbors are placed a mask and play to be variopintos characters. The next day is the turn of the outer chambers, organising the Great Parade and National and Regional Contest for Foreign Comparsas. East event is held since 2014 as due to the large number of shares requesting to participate in the carnival of Llano de Brujas, had to differentiate between local foreign exchanges. To end the weekend, in the so-called pineapple Sunday, are the local shares the ones to animate with their choreographies and costumes the streets of the paedia in a great parade, in which there are also floats, shakes and animation groups varying each year the theme. La party puts point and end on the night of the Sunday of Piñata, in a great Hoguera where the Witch Salah is burned, symbolizing the God Momo, King Carnival. It is, therefore, a great party that brings together a large number of participants and visitors during the celebration days, for this reason and along with their antiquity, the current Carnival Association seeks the Statement of Interest Regional Tourist of this party. Charnival characters are all those people or associations that they obtain a distinction in the celebration of the carnival of each year. Muses and Musas, both children and adults are the maximum representatives of the party and are elected at the Grand Gala of Election Characters held last weekend of November. It's also this is the date chosen to make known the name of the Queen of Carnival The Third Age. These characters represent the three fundamental pillars of our carnival, past, present and future. The Queen of Carnival Older Age represents the story of our carnival, the Adult Muses represent the current carnival and the Children’s Muses represent what will be Carnival of the future. They are, all of them, the ones in charge of carrying the name of the Carnival Salareño all the places they go. The Muses that have been crowned throughout our carnival history have been: Doña Elia Nicolás Gambín, 1992. Doña Fuensanta Ros Navarro, 1993. Doña María del Carmen Martínez, 1995. Between 95 and 2006 there is a pallion regarding the appointment of the representation of the Carnival due to the absence of an Association the appointment, but with the creation of the first Asociación de Carnival se instauran los cargos, ser sus representantes las following women: Doña Beatriz Vigueras, 2006. , Doña Laura Nicolás Gambín, year 2007. , Doña Marta Soto, year 2008. From 2008 to 2015, as mentioned above, due to dissolution of the first Association together with the economic crisis, years of decadence, but the tradition recovers when the Association of Current Carnival is in charge in 2015, with representatives following: . Immaculate Doña Bermúdez, year 2016. . Doña Sandra Córdoba, 2017. . Doña Cristina Brao, 2018. Doña Lucía Martínez Latorre, year 2019. The current Carnival Association also added the position of Muso of the Carnival, the representatives since then have been: Don Sendoa Apodaca, 2016. Don David Palazón, 2017. Don Miguel Angel Marín, 2018. Don Eduardo López, year 2019. As for the Children's Muses, we can name: . Laura Navarro, 2016. . Paloma Ortigosa, 2016. Juan Carlos Celdrán, 2016. , Adrián García, year 2016 . José Antonio Martínez, 2017. . Silvia Roca, 2017. Ana Luz Fernández, year 2018 . Alvaro Navarro, 2018. . David Vigueras, year 2019. . Julia Marín, year 2019. The Carnival has taken as a pet a fun character named the Witch out. This is the protagonist of the end of the carnival acts, when on the night of the Sunday of Piñata is burned in the bonfire at the rhythm of the music and a large display of fireworks. La Bruja Salá represents the old Carnival of Harapos and alludes to the name and legend of the town of Llano de Brujas. He realizes that a night of the cold orchard winter, the sewer witches kidnapped the Father Tomatera and they carried him flying in the presence of the devil himself. The Father Tomatera, frightened, pronounced a Carmelite conjure that prayed like this: “Vade infernalis, draco autoritate. Dei et Beeatissimae Virginies Carmelitana” When the poor Carmelite spoke these words, they immediately let him go. Father Tomatera told the people of the place the strange experience that had suffered and since then that territory began to be called Llano de Witch. Currently carnival presumes to be the first carnival LGTB-friendly of Spain, due to his twinning with the Collective No Te Prives, association that is responsible for defending the LGTB rights of the Region Murcia. The party is also twinned with other carnivals from the Murcia Region like the Carnivals of the High Age and Rincón de Seca, as the new Association understands that all traditional parties must be united since they are a symbol of our culture. Another of the highest distinctions that the party has is the mask of honor, and that every year is delivered by the Carnival Association to a person who has dedicated part of his personal life to promoting and enlarge the carnival by Llano de Brujas: . Doña Rebeca Pérez, 2016. Councillor of the City of Murcia. Don Juan Manuel Piñero, 2017. TV presenter. Don Jesús Zapata, 2018. Pedanian mayor of Llano de Bruges. Also, in carnival, since 2016 has appointed pregoners to different personalities of the Region: Don Juan Jiménez, 2016. Writer of the book “Mi Pueblo: Llano de Bruges.” . Don Antonio Ruíz, 2017. President of the former Association of Carnival. Don Francisco Martínez Campos, 2018. Radio director Autonomic television of the Region of Murcia. . Doña María Pina, year 2019. Presenter of 7TV Region of Murcia. Other of the maximum distinctions delivered in the carnival are the carnival of the year and share of the year. In 2018 a new character is added to the carnival to accommodate the old carnival story where piñata dances were already celebrated enter the Lent. It is intended that this character, called Doña Lent, whoever manages to mediate between Don Carnal, the neighbors of the the people and the Church thus representing the old divers that were paid for to carry out the carnival, and it will be Doña Cuaresma who gives permission a Don Carnal to celebrate the carnival through the streets of Llano de Brujas. The representatives of this character will always be the outgoing muses of year immediately prior to obtaining the post. Doña Cuaresmas 2018 son Doña Imaculada Bermúdez y Doña Sandra Córdoba, Musas del año 2016 and 2017 respectively. The Carnival Witch is the character in charge of sponsoring the party and, He will always be a public character of the national panorama. This will take the name of the Salareño Carnival throughout the national territory. The 2019 Carnival Bruge is Don Manuel Bohajar, known for his name artistic “Keunam” a well-known TV showman and social media, Antena 3 program participant from “Your face doesn’t sound to me yet”

Sangonera the Green

Sangonera la Verde has a great Carnival parade, held on the Saturday before Carnival Tuesday. Nearly 500 people participate in this parade, local troupes and visitors participate. The groups from the district have visited the best carnivals in the Region of Murcia, Cádiz, Alicante, etc. In addition to the parade on Saturday, the day before the children's parades are held in the morning. Other acts are added to the parades such as costume parties. official website www.carnaval.sangonera.es

Zeneta

The carnival of Zeneta revolves around the popular figure of "los cherros", a tradition closely linked to the so-called bailes de inocentes so typical of the Levantine area and that, it certainly maintains its roots in pagan interpretations of the spring solstice. "Los cherros" They are men dressed in rags and straw, their faces painted blue and loud cowbells, who walk through the streets of the town asking for a contribution that, originally, was for the Brotherhood of the Rosary; Whoever comes across them and doesn't give alms gets a blue smudge on their face.

San Xavier

Santiago de la Ribera

Santiago de la Ribera throws itself into its carnival days, in which the cold of the most wintry February warms up to the rhythm of comparsas and a coming and going of partying and magic.

The Carnival of Santiago de la Ribera takes place in a series of days that coincide around Ash Wednesday, which rotates according to Holy Week, and extends until Piñata Sunday or the Sunday following Ash Wednesday.

During these days, a program is distributed in a series of acts that make up the carnival and that integrate the participation of the comparsas and groups. Of these acts, the most participatory is the Great Carnival Parade, with a high rate of participation of local and neighboring comparsas, as well as other acts such as the Gala for the election of the Queen, the election of the children's Queen, the Chirigotas Contest or the Popular Carnival Party.

All of these acts take place in a certain nucleus, being the carnival tent in some cases or the street itself in another.

The Carnival events are the core of the festival, and its members, the comparsas and groups, the heart that give them life throughout the duration, beginning with the Queen Election Gala in which an average of 6 Candidates with the most spectacular fantasy costumes, and ending with the Grand Parade, where up to 40 comparsas from the municipality and the Region congregate.

Declared of Regional Tourist Interest.

• Main events

-Gala-Election of Carnival Queen and Proclamation-

The magical night reflected in the waters of the Mar Menor, which shines a few meters from the Carnival Tent, is preparing for its great moment.

La Ribera dresses in full length and the festive nucleus of the tent is too small to accommodate so many people willing to witness the glamor and the spectacular shine of large dresses, worn by local beauties.

Usually there are an average of 6 Candidates who present themselves for Queen of the Carnival of Santiago de la Ribera, a title that their aspirants and the troupes crave in their dreams. The members of the comparsas encourage their candidates who represent the effort, financial and physical, of a job embodied in a fantasy full of light and color. Both the candidate named "Muse" As her companion, they present the costume to the jury and the public with a vibrant staging and choreography.

Likewise, that same night, the town crier raises his voice, inviting locals and visitors to enjoy the party and debauchery that will culminate on Piñata Sunday in a grandiose parade. Music, entertainment, dance, light and color continue until the wee hours of the morning in a unique environment, in which the most timid moonlight is reflected in the waters of the Mar Menor with unique magic and splendor.

-Children's Costume Party and Election of the Children's Carnival Queen-

The Ribera Carnival reserves a moment for the little ones. During this special day, there is also a place for spectacle and magic, since the youngest of the comparsas present us with their candidate for Carnival Queen who is also accompanied by her muse. Both manage to look like their elders both in the staging and in the costumes that try to be a scale reproduction of the older ones.

It is Children's Day, and after the election of the Children's Queen of the Ribera Carnival, carried out by lottery, we all get ready to enjoy a performance enlivened with games and activities.

-Chirigotas Contest-

This can be summed up as the night of humor, acid criticism and sympathy. The Best chirigotas of the Region meet with us in the Carnival tent.

La Carpa fills up with the public to laugh in unison with high-level groups from Cartagena or Beniaján. Groups from the municipality also participate that sing to the authorities the criticisms of the Local administration. It is a very special night, striking and with great importance within the Chirigotero panorama of the Region.

-Popular Carnival Costume Party-

Piñatas fill the streets on Saturday night with the most misguided and humorous costumes. The Bars offer promotions to those dressed up, and the tent puts on the mask to offer its craziest and most crazy party.

It is the great night of costumes, drinks and fun are not lacking in the most imaginative characters that walk around the tent. Dj's and music groups animate the young night and some succulent economic prizes reward the best costumes in the Individual, Couple and Group categories.

-Great Carnival Parade-

It is the great finishing touch to such a party. The most participatory act of the program ends the Riverside Carnival. Around 40 groups and comparsas made up of an average of 50 members, take to the streets to parade in a route that attracts thousands of Visitors from the area and the Region.

The warm sun on the shores of the Mar Menor illuminates the promenade where the groups are eager to start parading in a unique route. Two kilometers between the beginning and the end, in a straight line where the sun makes all the sequins and beads of fantasy costumes shine. A privileged tour enjoyed by a large number of troupes from outside the municipality, for which we have managed to be one of the most participatory parades in the Region of Murcia.

The continuous dance until exhaustion is rewarded with the warmth of the abundant public and the prizes established for this purpose, both for troupes from outside and from the municipality.

TOUR: Barnuevo Esplanade and Paseo Colón, Sandoval Avenue, Puertas del Mar Square, Mar Menor Avenue and Spanish Aviation Avenue. START: 4 PM.

Totana