What will be the most prominent satirical theme in Cadiz this carnival?
Indulgent feasting, merrymaking, and parades galore characterize most carnivals. The Carnival at Cadiz, however, has a special character, which sets it apart from other European festivals like that of Venice or Köln. The reason is that Cadiz during carnival is home to a huge number of groups performing political satires at every street-corner. The question is: What will be the most prominent satirical theme in Cadiz this Carnival?
The Jury is still out as the Carnival is yet to be officially opened today, the 16th of February and no one will really know until the end of the festivities next week. A safe bet, however, is that the royal scandal concerning the Duke of Palma de Majorca, formerly Inaki Urdangarin, who is married to Princess Cristina, youngest daughter of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia, will be high on the agenda in Cadiz the following week. The issue at stake is a major fraud involving millions of Euros, which according to the press has been siphoned through a non-profit foundation, the Nóos Institute, chaired by the younger members of the royal family. The object of the Foundation is to land multimillion-euro contracts in order to organise events for regional governments in the Balearic Islands and Valencia. Rumor has it, that the royal couple overcharged for their consultancy and that the Institute was nothing but a front for this business venture. Currently investigations are under way. Whatever the truth is behind these allegations, there is no doubt that a number of the satirical performances and songs will focus on this; another theme, however might very well be the European economic crisis; a good guess is that the carnival will be visited by a number of “corrupt Greeks” dressed in sack-cloth and ashes.
Whatever happens it is always huge fun and quite revealing, when one of the largest Carnivals in Europe opens with the final contest between the Concurso Oficial de Agrupaciones Carnavalescas at the Gran Teatro Falla. The competition is divided into four categories – coros, chirigotas (satirical), cuartetos and the comparsas (the serious counterparts to the chirigotas). The categories are established in accordance with the number of voices, singers and instruments featuring in the repertoire. Apart from the performances at the Gran Teatro the groups will also perform in the streets or at the special tribunes eracted around the plazas. Plus there are musical performances all over the city in the Flamenco Bars and restaurants.
The history
Most historians believe that the Carnival tradition grew out of the tradition of the Roman Saturnalias, which early on developed into Christian celebrations around Epiphany. Carnival marked the end of these celebrations, which exploded in orgies of “fat eating” before Lent; hence the roots of its name – Carni Vale – “Farwell to meat”. The Carnival at Cadiz is at least 600 years old; it is supposed to have been introduced to Cadiz after the reconquista by merchants and traders from Venezia, where the earliest documented Carnival took place in 1286. The Carnival at Cadiz has, however, had a special history as it has continuously been marred by a succession of bans, prompted by its satires and political impact. Thus it was banned from 1937 until 1975, when Franco died.
See videos at the official site of the Carnival at Cadiz