The Carnival is coming to Barcelona with an explosion of colour
Els Comediants theatre group is responsible for this year’s opening ceremony.
Carnival time is traditionally associated with fun and fancy dress, but it was originally marked by a rupture of the established social order during a time, the Middle Ages, in which social boundaries were particularly difficult to cross and when there was a clearly defined hierarchy of control based on power. But during the Carnival celebrations, this order could be inverted: everyone was disguised, masks were worn, and these two factors meant that it was impossible to differentiate a nobleman from a farmer. And this rupture of the order took place under the reign of the King of the Carnival, a powerful figure who sanctioned excess and merrymaking. This year, the staging of the arrival of the king, who will, at least for this edition, go under the name of Tocatdelala Torriel, will be by the Comediants theatre group, who have prepared a collective spectacle based on colours, merriment and masks for the afternoon and evening of 8 February at Plaça de Sant Jaume and the surrounding area.
What Comediants call 'The Arrival of the King' will consist of a street spectacle for people of all ages in which everyone is invited to head for Plaça Sant Jaume to celebrate the arrival of Tòtil and his entourage, complete with jugglers, acrobats and musicians. The king will proclaim the Republic of the Carnival and at 5.30pm the procession will arrive. From 6pm people will put on the coloured mask that will be given to them and from 6.30pm the king will enter with seven giants, each of them with a colour that represents a cardinal sin: orange symbolizing anger, red for lust, sky blue for laziness, green for avarice, indigo blue for envy, purple for gluttony and yellow for pride.
The proclamation of Carnival marks the beginning of a week of fancy dress, parades and other celebrations. Additional information is available at the following link.