My first thought when I arrived in Sitges for Carnival was that its a pity we don't have this sort of thing back in the UK... Then again Spaniards' reputation for being night owls doesn't exactly happen in England either, so maybe its best that Carnival stays here! And thousands of half naked people with feathers and banana costumes would probably not go down so well in Westminster Square :)
The Spanish people will find any excuse to have a big celebration. I remember when I was growing up in Valencia, the Fallas used to be the centre of Spain's attention, and sometimes beyond the borders they would be talked about with envy. Well, in Barcelona we have the Carnestoltes, of which the Sitges Carnival is perhaps the most well known. Sitges is well known for being the gay capital of Spain, and this only adds to the celebration and increases the extraordinary range of costumes seen at Sitges Carnival. And this is not a one-day event; there are two main nights, with a no-event night in between for resting. It's just like having the famous siesta but for a whole day instead.
The main streets of Sitges become bar havens, with every single bar blasting out its own beats and trying to attract as many people as possible. The words that come to mind immediately are auction rooms (with bidders each wanting to take the prize), or stock exchanges (where each company wants the largest number of customers or investors). Each bar and clucompetes with its neighbours, but in such a way that the spirit is still incredibly merry and (perhaps sometimes) too merry! It reminded me of that infamous part of Amsterdam, only instead of cubicles you had bar, after bar, after bar, after.....
Carnival was apparently invented at this time of the year because it is the start of Lent. Tradition has now turned it into the last desmadre (or mad rave) before fasting starts. And people definitely like sticking to it!
The Spanish people will find any excuse to have a big celebration. I remember when I was growing up in Valencia, the Fallas used to be the centre of Spain's attention, and sometimes beyond the borders they would be talked about with envy. Well, in Barcelona we have the Carnestoltes, of which the Sitges Carnival is perhaps the most well known. Sitges is well known for being the gay capital of Spain, and this only adds to the celebration and increases the extraordinary range of costumes seen at Sitges Carnival. And this is not a one-day event; there are two main nights, with a no-event night in between for resting. It's just like having the famous siesta but for a whole day instead.
The main streets of Sitges become bar havens, with every single bar blasting out its own beats and trying to attract as many people as possible. The words that come to mind immediately are auction rooms (with bidders each wanting to take the prize), or stock exchanges (where each company wants the largest number of customers or investors). Each bar and clucompetes with its neighbours, but in such a way that the spirit is still incredibly merry and (perhaps sometimes) too merry! It reminded me of that infamous part of Amsterdam, only instead of cubicles you had bar, after bar, after bar, after.....
Carnival was apparently invented at this time of the year because it is the start of Lent. Tradition has now turned it into the last desmadre (or mad rave) before fasting starts. And people definitely like sticking to it!
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