The Carnival of Cadiz: tradition and fun in the heart of Andalusia
Carnival is one of the most beloved holidays of the year because we indulge in the purest fun, getting away from the stress and problems of everyday life. Humor is what characterizes this Spanish carnival, also a perfect opportunity to visit this town in the heart of Andalusia.
Seville, Cordoba, and Granada are the most famous places in the Spanish region of Andalusia: yet there are so many places worth visiting in this beautiful and fascinating corner of Spain, linked to traditions as old as flamenco and bullfighting.
There is in fact another city with a rich historical but above all cultural heritage and that is Cadiz: it is a pretty coastal city scenically perched on a promontory overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Hospitality and good food make Cadiz famous, along with its Carnival, among the most fun and important events in all of Europe, which attracts visitors from all over Spain and beyond.
Discovering the Carnival of Cadiz
The Carnival of Cádiz is a celebration that cannot be encapsulated in the more classic, typically Italian carnival concept, with masked people and floats parading through the streets of the city. This is a much more complex event that makes mockery, satire and irony its founding principles. Certainly it cannot be denied that this carnival, which originated in the 15th century, was somewhat imported by Italian traders who were in Cadiz at the time.
The very first written document containing references to the Andalusian city’s carnival festival dates back to the 16th century and is linked to local historian Augustin De Horozo. This writing tells of the custom of young maidens throwing flowers taken from vases at each other.
At the end of the 1500s, religious were banned from participating in Carnival, with Spanish royalty expressly forbidding the organization of masquerade balls in the 18th century, following the many scandals that occurred especially in convents.
The Carnival of Cádiz actually lasts a month, if you also take into account the
Carneval Chiquito
which takes place a week after the actual Carnival.
It all starts in January, when the competition opens inside the Grand Falla Theater to choose which groups will parade and compete in the streets of the city. The various candidates perform on stage under the eyes of the jury and perform their coplas: are the stars of the Carnival of Cádiz and are songs of a satirical nature accompanied by dancing and music, whose verses end up telling a slice of life, be it political or social.
The beginning of the festival coincides with the
Pregon
, that is, with the speech made by public figures, thus kicking off the various street demonstrations, complete with colorful and highly decorated floats on which acrobats, singers and dancers perform.It is great fun to see children follow these floats to collect the candies thrown by them as they go.
Cadiz Carnival’s most beautiful events and folklore groups
Attending the Carnival of Cádiz, one has the opportunity to enjoy the hilarity and skill of the groups involved in this highly entertaining Spanish festival. There are, for example, the
Chirigotas
, which represent the most popular of the folkloric groups, consisting of up to 5 people who perform cute satirical songs accompanied by percussion and guitar.
Le
Comparsas
are very dense groups that, accompanied by many musical instruments, perform deep poetic lyrics that are distinguished precisely by their poignant character.
Instead, there are 30 costumed members of the Coros and travel on floats through the streets of Cádiz, accompanied by lutes and guitars: it is the Carnival Tango that is their specialty, that is, a highly successful mix of poetic compositions and others that are more comic and satirical, not excluding a few impressive pieces of lyric poetry.
The group
Cuartetos
, consisting of 3, 4 or 5 people, has a purely comic character and always accompanies itself with kazoo and guitar, keeping the rhythm with the help of an old used stick.
I
Romanceros
on the other hand, represent the oldest carnival groups in Cádiz, and, dressed in traditional costumes, they roam the city with an easel through which the history of Carnival is shown in pictures: accompanying them is the Storyteller, who wrings many laughs with his humorous jokes.
All of these groups participate in the final competition, except for the
Illegales
who despite performing their compositions on the city streets, are amateurs who do not enter the official Cádiz Carnival competition at all.
During the Carnival of Cadiz, there are two parades that are most anticipated by all revelers: the Grand Parade that opens the festival and the Parade of Humor that takes place the last week of the Carnival in the heart of Cadiz’s historic center.
The concluding events include the
Concurso de las Agrupaciones Carnevalescas
, also inside the Gran Teatro Falla, during which prizes are awarded to the most entertaining groups that have enlivened the annual edition of the Carnival of Cadiz.
Plaza San Juan de Dios finally becomes the scene of the “death” of the Carnival: in addition to the marvelous fireworks display that lights up the entire city, a rather amusing funeral is staged, complete with a sardine burial made of papier-mâché and a funeral procession composed of people dressed in mourning.
What to see in Cadiz
The Carnival of Cádiz is the perfect opportunity not only to spend a few moments of pure light-hearted fun, but also to discover a city that, throughout its history, has held great importance: in fact, do not forget that shipments to the Americas departed from the port of Cádiz.
The city’s historic center is a small jewel that revolves around its Cathedral: built in 1722, it displays a pleasing mix of neoclassical, rococo and baroque styles, with the yellow dome clearly visible from everywhere in the city. On the facade of the church is the 56-meter-high Reloy or Levant Tower. and embellished with a 19th-century clock considered one of the oldest in all of Spain. On the opposite side towers the Torre de Ponente , from which one can admire Cadiz from above in a truly enchanting perspective.
Plaza de San Juan de Dios is the heart of Cádiz, formerly the Plaza de Armas and Royal Square: created from reclaimed land, it is a truly pleasant place among palm trees, fountains, statues and elegant buildings including the Town Hall and Casa de los Pazos Miranda.
Instead, in Plaza de Topete stands the Mercado Central, among the oldest in Spain where travelers can sample local delicacies such as Pescaíto frito, Tortillita de camarones, and the sweet pan de Cádiz.
One cannot leave Cadiz without visiting the Museo de Cadiz in the Plaza de Mina and without walking the Paseo Fernando Quinones, a boardwalk over the sea that leads to the Castillo de San Sebastian.
