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In New Orleans, the famous Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) carnivals mean outlandish
costumes and packed streets for days of partying and parades. In Brazil, the famous Rio Carnival is legendary with its dancing, music and mayhem. In Britain, people go mad and make pancakes - and
in Spain, the carnival season lasts for days and involves a heady mix of fancy dress, parties, and general good times.
The carnival tradition comes from the Biblical season of Lent.
For forty days and forty nights it is typical to give up some pleasurable indulgence like chocolate or wine, or both! In the past, this was taken more seriously than now and it was not unusual to spend the season of Lent fasting or living off very basic meals. This meant it was necessary to clear the house of all that temptation and so the idea of one last big meal before Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent led to the British tradition of frying pancakes and stuffing them with anything and everthing that would be off limits the next morning.
The Spanish, quite typically, and much like the Brazilians in Rio and the Americans in New Orleans, stretch this principal somewhat further.
The Carnival in Spain is not usually a parade
through the streets, but, as always, every town has its own way of doing things. The Spanish Carnival is usually a huge nationwide fancy dress party lasting from the Friday before Lent to Shrove
Tuesday. During this time, the streets are absolutely packed all night with all kinds of madcap costumes.
Many people will wear the costume during the day too, and children go to school in their fancy dress.
You may also overhear of people eating orejas (ears) at this time.
This is not as bad as it sounds: they are not real ears, rather a flat thin pastry covered in sugar, in some vague earlike shape.
Many towns will provide free orejas, and some surpass this by
providing free food and drink for the entire carnival week.
Sax is one such town, the festivals there are currently underway, and for a whole week the town closes down and the residents dress up in fancy old style costumes. Each year a Carnival King must provide for the town's festival, paying not only for all the food and drink, but also for their own magnificent costume covered in gold and jewels - the costumes are said to cost around 20,000 Euros each! Needless to say, though the position is a great honour, it's a great expense and may explain why we have some good country properties for sale in Sax!
Although the weather is not at its best at this time of year, the carnivals put a sense of cheeriness and fun into everything that is done. For this alone it is one of the best times to
visit, away from the tourist hordes, and seeing the Spanish having a great time as only they can.
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