Almadén’s carnival

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ALMADÉN'S CARNIVAL
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Description of the event

Almadén’s carnival is an event heartfelt by its inhabitants as a celebration of the town. It is rare for a household not to have one of its members participating in it, either by designing the costumes or props, preparing the yearly themes and lyrics or by simply belonging to one of its groups.

Its goal? Putting the town upside down during the celebration, without forgetting to greet visitors with an exceptional welcome, who will undoubtedly enjoy an unforgettable experience.

In 2009, it was declared a feast of regional touristic interest.

Celebration date

Date is subject to yearly calendar. It starts on the Friday prior to Ash Wednesday and ends the following Sunday.

Suggestions

Almadén is a World Heritage Site that can provide visitors a broad touristic offer able to complement the enjoyment from the carnival with its nature, gastronomy, visits to its patrimonial complex and even a fascinating journey to the bowels of the earth.

The Carnival

Preparations for the carnival start many months before it even takes place, with the design of its costumes, one of the best kept secrets until the start of the parade. In a frenzy, tailors, dressmakers and families alike strive to manufacture the costumes, with all their paraphernalia of details, complements and special fabrics, keeping them secret until the inaugural parade.

This is also the time for locals to sharpen their wits in order to prepare the lyrics, which are usually sung to narrate the stories of the yearly local happenings and most illustrious characters. They review local, national and international current affairs in a fun, yet respectful manner, helping visitors feel included in the celebration from the very beginning.

Meanwhile, families, especially mothers, grandmothers and housewife associations prepare the typical carnival sweets, which include fried donuts, sugar and honey fritters, ‘canutos’, ‘flores’ ‘roscas de fideos’ and others, all available to be tasted by visitors.

On Saturday afternoon, the presentation day for all Carnival groups, an informal parade is celebrated, where each carnival member dresses freely, testing their ability to assemble something out of old rags and past years’ costumes, in an attempt to come up with the most grotesque costume and most ridiculous parody, in order to become the night’s victor.

Sunday is the carnival’s grandest day. The official parade for carnival groups and floats happens on this day, staring at the town’s bullring and going all the way to the Plaza de la Constitución. During this route, the groups perform their songs and parodies (exchanging their lyrics and critiques for voluntary tips). After the parade has ended, each group gets onstage to perform two musical tunes chosen for the contest.

This celebration, however, does not end on the weekend. Almadén locals continue to enjoy their carnival on Monday afternoon, with the children’s costume contest as well as the children and adult ‘cucaña’, while the groups and ‘mascaras callejeras’ tour the town streets. On Tuesday, the adult’s costume contest and the ‘Mascarón Tradicional de Almadén’ contest are hel

Ash Wednesday is the day of the traditional Burial of the Sardine parade, where the famous carnival artist ‘Dª Sardina Raspa Escamilla’ is laid to rest. During this procession, all the grieving attendants carrying the coffin are dressed in black, making multiple stops along the way to sing a sombre melody with a scathing criticism of the most prominent events affecting the town before the carnival’s opening. At the end of the parade, a popular sardine feast can be enjoyed by all, including both the critics and the people they criticise.

Entierro de la Sardina. Carnaval de Almadén

Throughout the week, a street party is held at the carnival grounds, where both carnival participants and non-participants can party in their costumes well into the night.
The carnival ends on ‘piñata’ Saturday, with its corresponding parade.

To see more photos, access the image gallery.

El Mascarón de Almadén

Without a doubt, the main attraction of Almadén’s carnival is the ‘mascara callejera’ or street mask, which shares the characteristics of the La Mancha mask. It is a very original mask, yet lacks any signs of luxury or flashiness, except as a joker. Chests, trunks, cellars and basements are searched, looking for used clothes and old rags. All robes are worn-out and old, and there is no relation between what is worn on the head and on the rest of the body, where all types of bulky objects and decorations are placed in the most unexpected parts of the human anatomy, aiming to maximize the costume’s sense of deformity.

A traditional mask is seldom worn. Instead, a cloth is used to cover ones face, accompanied by bells, whistles and sound-making instruments and where communication between participants is made either by not using one’s voice or by distorting it.

The ‘mascaras’ roam the town’s streets and squares, shouting, ‘¿Qué no me conoces? Que torpe, que torpe…’ (you don’t know me? How clumsy, how clumsy), with a distorted voice.

Mascarón de Almadén. Carnaval de Almadén

Carnaval de Almadén. Plaza de la Constitución

The History os Almadén's Carnival

The history of Almadén’s carnival dates back to the 1720’s, over 300 years ago, as it can be inferred from an old message seeking for an establishment to host a dance ceremony for ‘mascaras para las carnestolendas’.

The first official contests where held in 1906, with prizes given to ‘estudiantinas’ and “mascaras’. In 1908, the first ‘comparsas’ appear, characterised as groups of disguised people sharing the same attires. The number of contest categories increase in 1922, with the presence of ‘murgas’, ‘orfeones’, ‘rondallas’ and ‘mascaras’.

Despite the multiple prohibitions that the carnival has experienced throughout the 20th Century, it has always remained present in Almadén. Prohibitions were imposed in 1929 by Primo de Rivera’s dictatorship, and later during Francisco Franco’s dictatorship, but the carnival has persisted. For example, Almadén’s first major, D. Julio Sánchez-Aparicio (well-known fan of the carnival) continued allowing the celebration of the carnival, all be it with several restrictions: It was not allowed for people to show their faces and street events were limited to daytime hours.

Almadén’s carnival gained momentum during the first years after the Spanish Civil War, as it was not prohibited during this time. However, a great deal of ingenuity was required to avoid detainment from government officials, who were often the mayor’s confidents and prone to being condescending to ‘mascaras’ and to the most daring people in the carnival.

On top of this, the lyrics and critiques in the carnivals songs were subject to censorship during this time.

Tourism - Festivals and Traditions

Almadén’s Carnival