The Carnival of Vinaròs is an annual

festival A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival c ...

Vinaròs Vinaròs () is a city located in eastern Spain and the capital of the Baix Maestrat in the province of Castelló. It is in the border between the Valencian Country and Catalonia. Vinaròs is a fishing harbour and tourist destination. History ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

that is held forty days before

Lent Lent ( la, Quadragesima, 'Fortieth') is a solemn religious observance in the liturgical calendar commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring temptation by Satan, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke ...

. In 2007, it was renamed the

Valencian Community The Valencian Community ( ca-valencia, Comunitat Valenciana, es, Comunidad Valenciana) is an autonomous community of Spain. It is the fourth most populous Spanish autonomous community after Andalusia, Catalonia and the Community of Madrid with ...

's Tourist Interest Festivity and it aspires to be Spain's Tourist Interest Festivity. In 2016, it took place from 29 January to 8 February. This event usually takes place between January, February or March. There are 33 troupes, the largest of which comprises 500 people. Each troupe is represented by a

queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

who creates a spectacular costume.

History

According to the documents of Municipal Archive the origin of the Carnival of Vinaròs which dates back to 1871. A masked dance was held in which fifty reales were collected and presented to the Mayor President of the City Council, Demetrio Ayguals de Izco by Nicolás Bas Rodríguez as

charity Charity may refer to: Giving * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sharing * Ch ...

. There are indications of the spontaneous celebration of the

carnival Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typi ...

during the times of the

second Spanish republic The Spanish Republic (), commonly known as the Second Spanish Republic (), was the form of government in Spain from 1931 to 1939. The Republic was proclaimed on 14 April 1931, after the deposition of Alfonso XIII, King Alfonso XIII, and was di ...

and in 1939 the festivity was banned.

Comparsas

Carnival of Vinaròs' ancient troupes: * Karting * Sortim perquè volem * Jalem y alkatre * Al lío montepío * Penya Madrid * Si no t'agrada no mires * La casa d'Andalusia * Me Río de Janeiro * Los Bituneros * Ni Pic ni Casso

Calendar

1st day (Friday): in the Town Hall, Carnival starts by a performance decorated with the Carnival's topic (In 2016 "The Circus") and the "Carnestoltes" presentation ("Carnestoltes" is a huge man made of a wood structure and dressed by a costume suitable with the Carnival's topic). Then, the Mayor and the queens open the Carnival's hutts enclosure (Placed in the Fóra Forat Walk where all nights parties take place in, each troupe has a hut where you can go into free and enjoy night parties). 2nd day (Saturday): The Queen's Presentation, where they show their fantastic costumes to all the people (Until this day, no-one knows how queen's costumes will be like). It's located on the old football pitch (Boverals H street / Football pitch street. It's placed in front of the river). 3rd day (Sunday): Flour's battle and Disguised pets Competition in the Carnival's hutts enclosure (Fóra Forat Walk), placed in the Fóra Forat Walk both. 4th day (Monday): Ederlies' dinner. 5th day (Tuesday): troupes fight for be the winner in a

Karaoke Karaoke (; ; , clipped compound of Japanese ''kara'' "empty" and ''ōkesutora'' "orchestra") is a type of interactive entertainment usually offered in clubs and bars, where people sing along to recorded music using a microphone. The music is ...

Contest. 6th day (Wednesday): people dress up with thematic costumes that are suitable with the Carnival's Topic and enjoy the night in the Carnival's hutts enclosure (Fóra Forat Walk). 7th day (Thursday): all people dress up with pyjamas and enjoy the night in the Carnival's hutts enclosure (Fóra Forat Walk) 8th day (Friday): people dress in costumes (There are people who, instead of buying a normal costume, design, make and sew their own one) and enjoy the night in the Carnival's hutts enclosure (Fóra Forat Walk). 9th day (Saturday) and 10th day (Sunday): on Saturday (7 p.m.) and Sunday (6 p.m.), troupes parade around the main streets in a closed route (Calle Pilar, Calle Pablo Ruiz Picaso, Calle San Francisco, Calle País Valencià, Calle Arcipreste Bono, Plaza 1º de Mayo, Calle Costa y Borrás, Calle País Valencià, Calle Arcipreste Bono, Calle Socorro, Plaza Jovellar y Calle Pilar). 11th day (Monday): Carnival ends on the Town Hall and then the "Carnestoltes" is burned on the beach or on waste ground. Moreover, in August there's the Summer Carnival with The Queen's Presentation to show the tourists what Carnival is like in Vinaròs.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carnival of Vinaros Carnivals in Spain Festivals in Spain Winter events in Spain