Madrid Prepares For Carnival Week
Every year, from the Saturday before Shrove Tuesday until Ash Wednesday, Madrid hosts Carnival, and this year, like in previous ones Madrid´s City Council has organised a wide range of free, events for all the family.
The week kicks off on Saturday, February 14. After the official opening address in Plaza Matadero, there is the Grand Carnival Parade which runs from the Toledo Bridge along Madrid Río to the Matadero Building and features street theatres, circus performers, musicians and Madrid´s famous Gigantes figures.
Achilles, a mobile sculpture over five meters tall, will lead the Carnival Parade, accompanied by brass and percussion bands, until it reaches Plaza Matadero, where a DJ and an entertainer will welcome the procession and the party begins!
The epicentre of the fun is like always in Madrid´s Matadero Rio Park with events running until Wednesday 18th February.
Some of the key attractions include the opening address, performances by street musicians known as Murgas and Chirigotas, the Manteo del Pelele, which involves tossing a straw doll, and Madrid´s own Burial Of The Sardine.
The traditional Burial which was made famous by the painter Francisco de Goya, whose painting hangs in the Prado Museum.
Goya was himself not just court painter at the time but first honorary member of the Merry Brotherhood of the Burial of the Sardine (who to this day are responsible for years for organising this event).
Legend has it that during the reign of Carlos III, a consignment of rotten fish arrived at the city’s markets. In response to the commotion caused by this, the King published a decree ordering the burial of the fish along the banks of the River Manzanares.
The burial starts in the morning, between 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., when the Alegre Cofradía (Merry Brotherhood) parades through Madrid de los Austrias to the Plaza Mayor, complete with marching band, and a satirical proclamation.
The sardine is traditionally interred at Pajarito Fountain located in Plaza de las Moreras within Casa de Campo Park. A spectacular bonfire finishes the event, symbolically driving away all misfortunes and negative feelings, with the ashes signifying the joy, tranquility, and unity that define the people of Madrid.
And with that costumes are stored away, the music and celebrations cease as Madrid prepares for Lent.
