Barcelona dresses up for its Carnival

The fact that the world’s Carnival festivities do not have a fixed date is because of the moon: the festivities begin every year seven week after the first full moon following the winter solstice. For Catholic countries it’s also the festivity that precedes Lent, the beginning of which signals the end of the most popular winter festival.

So, this year Barcelona is celebrating its Carnival from the 4th to the 10th of February. And there are plenty of events awaiting us during the celebration. Among the highlights are the celebration, on Friday, of the arrival of the King of the Carnival, and, on Saturday, two parades in different neighbourhoods in the city. Sunday sees most of the action with the Grand Carnival Parade and an orange-flavoured piece of madness known as the “taronjada” in the afternoon. There are more events scheduled for Ash Wednesday, including a tea party and the traditional though bizarre burial of the sardine, which signals the end of the festivities.

The history of carnival in Barcelona is as old as the festivity itself, and now, in the 21st century, its aim to become a participatory festival, retaining its ancient wild note of transgression – an exercise in personal freedom and in the collective freedom of the city.