Madrid Carnival

Carnival has been celebrated in Madrid since Medieval times. However this tradition of merry making was quashed in 1938 and banned for about 40 years by General Franco, who banned the carnival since the Civil War. With the establishment of democracy in 1976 this ban was lifted and ever since, the popular event is celebrated every year.

Madrid carnival may not match up to the standards of the one in Canary islands, but it sure finishes in style. A number of fancy dress competitions are held in different parts of the city and an evening concert is organized in the Plaza Mayor. The main event is a huge parade along the Paseo de la Castellana. On the last day i.e. on Wednesday of Carnival the pre-Lenten party culminates on Ash with the Entierro de La Sardina, aka Burial of the Sardine. This is a Spanish tradition that ridicules the ancient ecclesiastical tradition of burying the fat to mark the beginning of Lenten fasting. The traditional "Entierro de la Sardina" (The Burial of the sardine) is held on Paseo de la Florida with the participants all dressed in black carrying a cardboard sardine in a coffin which is theatrically and mournfully buried at the Fuente de los Pajaritos, marking the beginning of the fasting and reflection associated with Lent .The "fun times" are buried because la Cuaresma - a time of fasting and praying takes over. The sardine is a symbol which reminds the people that now they will be eating fish instead of meat. Annual Madrid Carnival takes from 16 to 18 of the month of February.

Carnival action in Madrid is still growing and remains centered around venues like the Casino and the Circulo de Bellas Artes. Carnival festivities are noteworthy for their brilliance, everything is allowed: Humans transform themselves into animals, males become females, peons strut like kings, social station is scorned, decorum is debunked and blasphemy goes unblamed.

In Madrid, Carnival festivities is remarkable for their brilliance and dramatic flavor consisting of choruses, fancy-dress processions, jokes, disguises and float parade, flagrant procession, fancy-dress parades, and groups of street musicians, all reaching a climax on Wednesday. During the days of Carnival you would find yourself enveloped with an unsubduable spirit of love and gaeity.