Carnival’s - a - coming to Mallorca

The frothy festivities of ‘Carnival’ are typically scheduled to take place between February 23 to March 2, although some townships have already been celebrating with unfettered gusto. Traditionally commencing with ‘Dijous Llarder’ or ‘Fat Thursday’ (27 Feb) the celebrations throw a nod to the‘Mardi Gras’ or ‘Fat Tuesday’, famously recognised throughout mainland Spain, Latin America and other parts of the world.

The origins of joyous Carnival can be traced back to their roots as far as mediaeval times, blending pagan rituals seamlessly with Christian traditions as colourful celebrations erupted prior to the more solemn period of Lent, replacing doom and gloom with dizzy dancing! Most towns and villages across Mallorca organise their own carnival celebrations, with the largest floats and parades spectacularly headlining in Palma.

‘Sa Rua’ is a huge, Rio de Janeiro style parade, celebrated on March 2, filling the city streets with music, laughter and amazingly crafted floats as the carnival vibe comes to its colourful climax. ‘Sa Rueta’, massively dedicated to children and their families, is celebrated on the morning of Sunday February 23, so start blinging those costumes all you mums!

Our own carnival here in Mancor de la Vall will duly be celebrated with fun-filled children’s activities along with a masked ball for the grown-up children aka the ‘adults’, which is when all the Disney Princesses, Superheroes and ABBA outfits hit the streets. It seriously doesn’t take much to get those party-going Mallorcan men into platform boots and a sparkling jump suit! Just one of those macho Spanish things I suppose!!!

Traditionally, here in Mancor de la Vall, the carnival cacophony closes with a rather sombre finale – a traditional tongue-in-cheek ‘funeral’march, followed by a burial service for a trusty sardine! In Mallorca, as also documented throughout mainland Spain, there is an age-old ceremony showcasing ‘the burial of the sardine’, culminating with an effigy of the said sardine being thrown onto a flaming funeral pyre. This slightly bizarre ceremony will lead the way into a final night of celebration including a street BBQ, along with some traditional drinking, dancing, singing, swirling and twirling! Yet, regardless of being a fish fan or not, a portion of salty sardine, along with a glass of wine, will be offered to all who attend this most freaky of festive frivolities.

The first time I tried a traditional sun dried/salted sardine, I wasn’t best impressed, mainly because I just grilled the offering then ate it. It was like eating 6 very salty bags of crisps all at once. Then a friendly local showed me the correct way to proceed, and how to eat this traditional fishy treat properly, like a true Mallorcan!

First, you toast the fish nicely over an open flame. Then you wrap the little darling between a few sheets of newspaper, making a tasty little parcel. (if it’s the Bulletin, make sure you’ve read it first!) Then, you either stomp on it with a well-turned heel, or place it between a handy door jamb and press the fishy parcel flat as a pancake. Remarkably, when you peel back the newspaper, the salty skin of the sardine has stuck to the paper, revealing the tender flesh inside which then just flakes away. And that’s how you eat it, with your fingers from the newspaper. Add a few chips along with some mushy peas and it would be just like home!

This satirical sardine ceremony is based on the age-old belief of symbolically burying the past, whilst highlighting hopes for a more fruitful future, while also marking the beginning of Lent. So, let’s hope the year, moving forward, sprinkles a lot more hope and happiness to everyone across the glittering globe. Until next year. Molts D’Anys!