03.08.11
One of Spain’s Biggest Parties
The notion of ‘carnaval’ probably dates back some four thousand years to an Egyptian festivity in honor of the godess Osiris. To some degree this continued in the ‘baccanalia’ celebrations of the Romans and it comes down to us today via the Roman Catholic Church, who decreed the celebration three days before the beginning of Lent. The word comes from the Latin carnem levare, in reference to the prohibition on eating meat on Fridays during the forty day period leading up to Easter. In Roman times it allowed master and servant to share the same table in debauchery and gluttony, in Catholic times it allowed for people to “blow off some steam” as it were before the traditional sacrificial period of fasting and the denial of other earthly pleasures.
Carnaval culminates with Fat Tuesday. With the arrival of Ash Wednesday celebration is over and it is a time for meditation and attonement. Tell that to the Gaditanos.
In 2011 Cadiz carnaval goes beyond the March 8 ‘Mardi Gras’ to Sunday the 13th. The eleven day or so event really begins gearing up much earlier, because of the numerous competitions that take place to select the best chirigota for the year’s carnaval. Cadiz is considered somewhat the humor/comedy capital of Spain and nowhere is this in greater evidence than during carnaval. Chirigotas, or groups (usually men) of singers with a guitarist and an oom-pah drummer in accompaniment compose and rehearse their compositions for a chance at the finales in the Gran Teatro Falla (considered the traditional start of Carnaval), where other chirigotas compete with comic skits and costumes in addition to their songs. Difficult sometimes even for other Spaniards to understand, they choose current events in Spain and beyond to satirise, with hilarious lyrics that spare no public figure, not even King Juan Carlos II, as evidenced by the “cuple’ of 2011 winner of the final Ricas y Maduras) ,or celebrity figures such as Isabel Pantoja or political figures such as the current president, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.
Add to the chirigotas the coros, or orchestras of costumed performers usually accompanied with traditional spanish mandolin and lute player and, outside of the Teatro Falla you are bound to find many groups of ilegales, groups of enthusiasts not participating officially in the contests but providing no less a spectacle with their own witty and humorous kazoo enriched music and lyrics. It is really the ilegales who provide the street atmosphere for carnaval and for a memorable experience one should seek them out at night in the streets of the neighborhood of La Viña, such as calles Martínez Campos, Corralón de los Carros, Trinidad, Patrocinio, Virgen de la Palma, San Nicolás, Paz, and Paco Alba; and plazas such as Tío de la Tiza, and José Macías Rete.
Just about everyone gets into the spirit of Carnaval so you may feel out of place if you show up without some kind of costume. Masks are uncommon, in fact for many years the carnaval of Jerez was prohibited in the past because of masked carnaval goers that used their anonimity to ‘settle scores’ with enemies. Undoubtedly the most popular time to go are the two weekends of Carnaval, the first considered to be the better of the two but gaditanos will tell you this is not when they really celebrate Carnaval, leaving it to the scores of outsiders that come from all over to join in the celebration. Gaditanos love their Carnaval and are usually out carrousing until the early morning hours even during the work (?)week. The two Sundays of Carnaval also feature parades throughout the old town, the first known popularly as ‘El Domingo de Coros’ (the Sunday of Choirs, the huge groups of carnaval singers that parade through the streets) and ‘El Domingo de los Hartibles’ (the Sunday of the ‘ones who can’t get enough’, in reference to those that want the party to continue on, well beyond Mardi Gras!)
Though Jerez and other towns in the area and for that matter Spain celebrate carnaval, few can match the intensity of Cadiz in its finest hour. Visitors will find this as the friendliest time to be in Cadiz as just about the whole town gets roaring drunk. Fights are rare despite the huge crowds and it is easy to make local friends who can point you in the direction of the good spots from which to hear the various chirigotas, coros, or ilegales perform. RENFE also offers an extended train service to and from Jerez during the two weekends of Carnaval for revelers wanting to experience it without staying overnight, though its likely you’ll be there until the early hours of the morning. Well worth experiencing at least once!
