CADIZ AND HUELVA´S  CARNIVALS (16 to 26 february 2012)

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.-CÁDIZ

Cadiz (pronounced CA-deeth) is famous for the sense of humour of its citizens and the age-old Carnival where authority, politicians, celebrities and the church are parodied and ridiculed with unparalleled skill and wit in comic song. The central figures here are the choirs, oragrupaciones, which are groups of between three and forty singers.  The Falla's Contest is a Music festival held in the Gran Teatro Falla before Carnival itself and, to a certain extent, it is a relatively serious competition as the show is televised across Spain. Competition is keen, and contestants spend months in preparation.

The most popular type of group is the chirigotas, choirs normally of ten unison or close-harmony singers, accompanied by bombo, caja (drum, box - used as a percussion instrument) and guitar. Their repertoire is the most satirical of the different types of groups and the literary quality of the songs can be very high (they may be written by local authors). Only a few musical forms such as the tango or pasodoble are used, so that everyone knows the tune and can concentrate on the words.

 

As the story goes, the Carnaval fun began in the 17th century when the city tried to outdo the opulent carnival celebrations of Venice. The crews of the great Spanish port on the Atlantic spread their Carnaval song afar, most notably to Tenerife, which has similar competitions for their world-famous Carnaval. The galleons returned from the New World with not only gold and silver, but with even more powerful treasure: the rhythms and musical influences that still dominate today's Carnival. African and Creole rhythms, sambas and rustic Colombian tunes all intermingle in the streets with local Andalusian songs and traditional flamenco music.

In Cádiz, however, the party never stopped. Today, the town of 160,000 people begins planning six months in advance for the parades and the singing showdowns at the theater.

While many Carnivals end the day before the beginning of Lent, the party goes on several more days in Cádiz. Parades are held on the Sundays before and after Ash Wednesday. People on the floats throw confetti, or sometimes candy, to the children.

Outside of Cádiz capital, carnivals take place throughout the province. The Puerto de Santa María carnival, for example, is a major event. This town is most famous for its "Comparsas" singing groups and many of them also participate in the big provincial contest held at the Teatro Falla in Cádiz. As in other places, everyone dresses up for the festivals and there is a parade on the last day. Rota, San Fernando, Chiclana, Algeciras, Medina-Sidonia and Trebujena all have lavish carnivals. 

HUELVA 

Isla Cristina and Ayamonte in Huelva, are also famous for their elaborate costumes and excitement, drawing visitors from throughout the region and the other side of the Portuguese border as well.

The Huelva carnival is one of the biggest in Andalucia and is known as the Columbian Carnival, in honour of Christopher Columbus, who sailed from Huelva to discover the New World. The Huelva carnival closed down during Franco's prohibition and it took a few years to start it up again, even after democracy overtook the country. It was not, therefore, until 1983 that this carnival re-started after a long sleep.

The Huelva Federation of Clubs and Carnival Associations (Federación Onubense de Peñas y Asociaciones de Carnaval (FOPAC) is responsable for organizing this exciting event for the capital of Huelva, which - like Cádiz - hosts a major contest for all the different genres of carnival singers. The Huelva carnival singing contest has been known to attract up to 70 different groups from Huelva, Cádiz and the rest of Andalucia.