‘Carnestoltes’, an old but always eagerly awaited tradition

Santa Cristina d’Aro (CNA).- “We hope the crisis will not take its toll”, was the message of the opening speech last Saturday as Carnival time kicked off in Santa Cristina d’Aro, a small town on the Costa Brava, in Catalonia’s Girona Province. Crisis or not, carnival has been celebrated year after year throughout the villages of Catalonia. From the early middle ages on, Carnival was more a pagan feast than a Christian celebration and involved debauchery and excess before the beginning of the Lent, when food was in shorter supply and people fasted. The name of ‘Carnestoltes’, from Latin Carnes Tollitas (‘removed meat’), is given to the set of celebrations but also to the king (a doll) that declares the beginning of libertinage and social upheaval.

 “There is no crisis in Girona" is the word on the street. This idea comes from the fact that the province is the richest in Catalonia and also the most expensive, mainly thanks to tourism and many luxury second homes concentrated on the Costa Brava. Nevertheless, the fact is that the unemployment rate within Girona is 3 points above the average for Catalonia (23.39%). However, nothing will not stop ‘Carnestoltes’: his festival has always been celebrated and this year, even with lesser financial means, is not going to be an exception.

The king and the sardine

Traditionally, ‘Carnestoltes’ begins on ‘Dijous Gras’ (‘Fat Thursday’ or ‘Thursday Gras’) and ends on ‘Dimecres de cendra’ (‘Ash Wednesday’), the Wednesday before Lent starts. But now, since Thursday is not a holiday in Catalonia, the celebration begins on the previous Saturday a full ten days before Ash Wednesday so there is plenty of time to introduce the King of the Carnival. When “their Majesties, the kings of ‘Carnestoltes” (a king and a queen) receive the sceptre from last year’s Monarchs, Carnaval can begin.

The King and Queen preside over the ceremony until the very last day, when they are replaced by a straw doll that is burnt. ‘Carnestoltes’ finishes with the “metaphorical death” of its king and the burial of a sardine. Many may wonder what a sardine has to do with the feast. But the “sardine” was not for the fish but for the spine or backbone of the pork. Burying the backbone of the pork would put an end to the excess of meat.

Between these two key days there is plenty of time to celebrate. The Kings visit schools where they ask the kids to disguise themselves and to break the rules. They also visit elderly residences and the day hospitals before the real party begins at the week-end. In Santa Cristina d’Aro, the big parade takes place on Sunday evening and the town masquerade attracts people from all surrounding villages. Some come from as far as Olot, an hour and a half drive by car.

The ‘comparsa’, an excuse to socialize

‘Carnestoltes’ has always been a social gathering. The ‘colla’ (group or band) is important for social relationships in adulthood. The excursionists ‘colla’, the photographers ‘colla’, the Human tower builders ‘colla’ and finally the carnival ‘colla’ are meant to promote group activities. Friends meet regularly for supper in restaurants to have a bit of fun. They are usually made up of friends from adolescence. “We are a group of mates, but we don’t only go to Carnival. We also go on trips and excursions together and meet again for the Town Festival”, said the president of the ‘comparsa’ ‘Ki’ls va parir’, Mari Martin Rodriguez. “But of course our meeting point is the Carnival. It’s three days of fun, fun and fun”.

The ‘comparses’, in this case, dress up, go from parade to parade and compete in the best disguise contest of every town. The costume is generally a secret until the first rua (‘parade’), not always well kept since sometimes the masquerades are so large that locals are able to guess at least one of the participants. There are six of them in Santa Cristina d’Aro, each with their mascot and comical names such as ‘Ki’ls va parir’, (‘sons of bitches’) ‘Els Merlots’ (a diminutive for ‘blackbird’), ‘Els Caganers Alegres’ (‘the happy shitters’), ‘Les Castanyes Voladores’ (‘the flying chestnuts’) or ‘Els Mamuts’ (‘the mammoths’).

For Vera Casoni-Valenti, from Els Merlots, the older masquerade, the comparsa is important because for once people can do something as a group. “Thirty people dancing the same steps... it’s worth doing it. Nowadays we are too individualists”. For this 31^st year of competing, the Merlots are dressing up as Abba. “We go there to have fun”, she said while lamenting that they didn’t have time to find something more original.

‘Carnaval de l’amistat’: everyone on a level plane

“This is the Carnival of friendship. Here the idea is that there are no winners or losers, everyone is the same and everybody that takes part pays a price”, said the director of festivities for the Santa Cristina d’Aro Town Hall, Josep Maria Nadal. However, this year cutbacks have led to only 35 of the more than 60 ‘comparses’ receiving  a funding. 

Other towns offer a fierce contest between groups. And ‘comparses’ have a non-stop week-end ahead. They will take part in at least three more parades as well as in Santa Cristina d’Aro. The village is located in the middle of a valley, and has two towns nearby: Sant Feliu de Guíxols and Platja d’Aro. Both their parades cannot be missed. ‘Els Merlots’ also go to Palamós and Pineda de Mar, while others go to Llagostera or Cassà de la Selva. The parade at Platja d’Aro offers 5,490€ in cash prizes to the three best disguises.

Through thick and thin...

It is usually very cold for ‘Carnestoltes’. Or it rains. There seems to be a cloud of bad luck upon the celebration. “The participation often depends on the weather”, explained Josep Maria Nadal. But nothing can darken the festivity and bad weather is not a constraint. If it rains, “we cannot cover the whole village”, he joked. The parade is moved to the following week offering a perfect excuse to prolong the fun...