Carnival of La Bañeza
Encyclopedia
The Carnival of La Bañeza
(also called winter festivals, carnivals, the run of carnival, antruejo), in the province of Leon, is a festival declared of national touristic interest that began to gain importance and fame at the beginning of the 20th century during the repression under Franco
, due to the prohibition of concealing one’s face or wearing a costume.
The main characteristic of La Bañeza’s carnival
is the absence of a costume competition with prizes and monetary compensation for participating, which may occur in carnivals elsewhere. Most of the city dedicates themselves wholeheartedly to the festival, passing on interest through generations. In many cases, participants prepare a year in advance, searching for accessories, fabrics, masks and acts they will perform, motivated by a "carnival feeling", lived during those days. Given this, the disorganized carnival is becoming increasingly popular, dressing up outside of parade hours, or on days without events, in the workplace, etc. looking to surprise and amaze the citizens and visitors.
During Franco’s regime, due to the strong tradition that existed in the city, the people of La Bañeza broke the costume ban, running the risk of being arrested or fined by the security forces, so they got together in private parties, or in neighborhoods of the city, such as the Polvorín, where it was harder to be surprised than in the center of the city. When they were seen by the authorities, the masked people fled to avoid being punished. From this routine occurrence of the winter holidays, the term “the run of carnival” was coined.
With the fall of the dictatorship and the advent of democracy, we could normalize carnival, which had already been authorized by La Bañeza years before, signed by the civil governor and the delegate of the Ministry of Tourism. In the late 1970s, the first festival committees were created for the organization, and some families formed the first delegations, especially for children, resulting in the children's parade the Monday of carnival.
Although not an officially organized event, it is of vital importance throughout the year; group meetings, gatherings of friends and family, where the participants discuss ideas and design costumes, looking for originality, often staying in strict secrecy to cause the largest possible impression. As winter comes, many participants begin to make their carnival costumes, although another percentage improvise and make their costumes with less time to spare, often coming out equally graceful.
Since 2006, the group Los Tranquilos have organized a monologue
contest, in which participants have to dress up. From Christmas
until the arrival of the carnival, the contest takes place once a week in different collaborating establishments, with the final on Piranha Saturday. Over time, the number of visitors and the level of the participants has been increasing, becoming a meeting place for different carnival participants. Totally unexpectedly, in 2008, a carnival karaoke
contest also sprung up at a theater cafe in the city. In this contest, the participating groups prepare a song with choreography and costumes, delighting the audience.
of carnival, a figure represented by a young girl of the city, chosen by the members of the group. In this act, in addition to the declaration, there is a preacher figure, theater shows, musicians and comedians. The Salsa group is one of the oldest groups participating in the parades.
band. Notably backing up the procession is the processional float of San Turbadín, carried by the “hermanos turbados”.
“Tranquilo Friday” gets its name from the celebration organized by the group Los Tranquilos where at the end of their annual dinner, they honor one or various carnival participants. After, there is a party attended by a multitude of costumed people. There, they declare their decision for the best group of the previous carnival, the most original group and a special appointment.
The day begins in a totally surprising and spontaneous way. In the early morning hours, coinciding with the market of La Bañeza, many carnival participants perform small comic and theatrical acts evoking great interest among the visitors. This day is of increasing importance and is one of the greatest impulses by the young as it goes back to the roots of an institutionally disorganized carnival. Late in the afternoon, the proclamation giving the official start to carnival takes place (normally accompanied by musical acts, theatrical groups and comedians of the city). Then, many people dressed in costumes, attend the dinner of the exaltation of carnival, organized by the city council
. Upon finishing dinner, the celebration begins with the sound of the brass bands of La Bañeza, allowing for the enjoyment of a night filled with jokes, pranks and humor by the disguised participants, in the center of the city.
that goes from the old train station and to the main square. All the participants are dressed up, going in front of people dressed as security forces
who try to make sure no one reaches the end of the course. Although primarily for younger children, there are people of all ages. At 5:00 pm in the afternoon, the parade of the previous year starts, where groups and individuals wear the same costume they wore the previous year, accompanied by floats and brass bands. Also making an appearance in the parade is the queen of carnival, accompanied by her maids of honor and the muse of carnival.
. It's the busiest night of people in costumes that can go until the wee hours of the morning, in the streets and bars of the city, making it a major festival in northern Spain.
The Tuesday of Carnival, at 5:00 pm, the big parade starts off, led by the muse of carnival along with the Salsa group and ending with the queen of the festival and her maids of honor. This is the most important day of the celebration, as all attendees dress in the costumes they designed and made throughout the year in secret. At the end, all the participants are given a bun filled with chorizo
. The number of visitors is very important, but has led to circulation problems in traffic on the access roads to La Bañeza. The number of groups exceeds fifty. This day, along with August 16 are chosen as local holidays in the city.
, a funeral procession made up of the group members, characterized by a suit, coat, hat and long beard, the carriers of the coffin, a white tunic, hat and slippers and the mourners, representing the widows of Don Carnal. All of them are accompanied by a brass band that mixes the rhythms of carnival with those of the funeral. It starts in the Bar Industrial and goes to the main square where after a reading by the character of El Corvillo of ballads of satire and irony about what happened in the city during the year, bread, pickles and wine are freely distributed, and it ends with the burning of a figurine in the shape of a sardine.
In 2008, thanks to a citizens’ initiative, signatures began being collected to support naming a city street carnival. More than 1,300 people of La Bañeza supported the cause with signatures and over 500 signatures were made over the Internet in a survey published on the website carnavaldelabaneza.com. La Bañeza already has the carnival's square, a green space that is missing only a symbolic sculpture to finish the project.
The musical tradition of carnival in La Bañeza is reflected in group ensembles called charangas (brass bands). The most important charangas of La Bañeza are Los 4 Gatos, Rico - Rico y Ritmo Joven, who are asked to join those from other cities in Spain to play in their parades. To these formations, the group La Charra that musically enlivens the streets and taverns of La Bañeza with humor, must be added.
The summer
sounds of artists such as Georgie Dann
, or Rafaella Carrà, are adopted as carnival songs, so playing these songs during the days of festivities is synonymous with carnival music. In addition, many of the brass bands have a number of these songs in their repertoire.
, by private initiative. Carnival participants and members of groups of La Bañeza participated with inmates on a holiday, trying to bring carnival closer to the inmates and by doing so, make their time in the center pass more quickly. In 2010, the city council of La Bañeza and Red Cross of La Bañeza, launched a collection of funds to help the earthquake victims in Haiti
.
In 2006, the First National Congress of Carnival in La Bañeza was held, organized by the city council of La Bañeza, the University of León and UNED
, tackling songs, historical and other fields about the origin of the festival. Representatives were invited from other carnivals of Spain, such as Sitges
, Cádiz
, Ciudad Rodrigo
and Los Realejos
, participating in panel discussions on the theme of carnival. The musical participation was carried out by the folk group Tornadera from Leon, the troupe La Charra and joke Cadiz group Los Aguafiestas. In February 2010, the book containing the proceedings of the congress held in 2006 was presented, with the name Carnival: Tradition and Today.
artists of La Bañeza and the region or the idea to seek a declaration of Interest Party National Tourist.
In 2010, the spread of carnival on the internet intensified in the field of social networks, creating a facebook group, tuenti and twitter, and celebrating "The Day of the Carnival of La Bañeza on the Internet".
goods in La Bañeza one can find different products typical of this holiday, such as the Ears of Carnival, Carnival Masks or Dominoes.
La Bañeza
La Bañeza is a municipality located in the province of León, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2010 census , the municipality has a population of 11,050 inhabitants.It is the capital of the region of Tierra de La Bañeza....
(also called winter festivals, carnivals, the run of carnival, antruejo), in the province of Leon, is a festival declared of national touristic interest that began to gain importance and fame at the beginning of the 20th century during the repression under Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
, due to the prohibition of concealing one’s face or wearing a costume.
The main characteristic of La Bañeza’s carnival
Carnival
Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...
is the absence of a costume competition with prizes and monetary compensation for participating, which may occur in carnivals elsewhere. Most of the city dedicates themselves wholeheartedly to the festival, passing on interest through generations. In many cases, participants prepare a year in advance, searching for accessories, fabrics, masks and acts they will perform, motivated by a "carnival feeling", lived during those days. Given this, the disorganized carnival is becoming increasingly popular, dressing up outside of parade hours, or on days without events, in the workplace, etc. looking to surprise and amaze the citizens and visitors.
History
The first reference to carnival dates from 1675 by Antonio Ferreras, on the jubilee of forty hours in the days of carnival. In this paper, Luis Gonzalez, a resident of La Bañeza, makes a will and exposes his last wishes in different clauses. One of these states:During Franco’s regime, due to the strong tradition that existed in the city, the people of La Bañeza broke the costume ban, running the risk of being arrested or fined by the security forces, so they got together in private parties, or in neighborhoods of the city, such as the Polvorín, where it was harder to be surprised than in the center of the city. When they were seen by the authorities, the masked people fled to avoid being punished. From this routine occurrence of the winter holidays, the term “the run of carnival” was coined.
With the fall of the dictatorship and the advent of democracy, we could normalize carnival, which had already been authorized by La Bañeza years before, signed by the civil governor and the delegate of the Ministry of Tourism. In the late 1970s, the first festival committees were created for the organization, and some families formed the first delegations, especially for children, resulting in the children's parade the Monday of carnival.
Preliminary events
The preparation of the celebration begins with the choice of the poster to represent carnival, through a competition organized by the city of La Bañeza. In the month of November, meetings are held with the groups participating in the parades to reach an agreement on the time, number of groups, and music or travel aspects.Although not an officially organized event, it is of vital importance throughout the year; group meetings, gatherings of friends and family, where the participants discuss ideas and design costumes, looking for originality, often staying in strict secrecy to cause the largest possible impression. As winter comes, many participants begin to make their carnival costumes, although another percentage improvise and make their costumes with less time to spare, often coming out equally graceful.
Since 2006, the group Los Tranquilos have organized a monologue
Monologue
In theatre, a monologue is a speech presented by a single character, most often to express their thoughts aloud, though sometimes also to directly address another character or the audience. Monologues are common across the range of dramatic media...
contest, in which participants have to dress up. From Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
until the arrival of the carnival, the contest takes place once a week in different collaborating establishments, with the final on Piranha Saturday. Over time, the number of visitors and the level of the participants has been increasing, becoming a meeting place for different carnival participants. Totally unexpectedly, in 2008, a carnival karaoke
Karaoke
is a form of interactive entertainment or video game in which amateur singers sing along with recorded music using a microphone and public address system. The music is typically a well-known pop song minus the lead vocal. Lyrics are usually displayed on a video screen, along with a moving symbol,...
contest also sprung up at a theater cafe in the city. In this contest, the participating groups prepare a song with choreography and costumes, delighting the audience.
Declaration of the Muse
Carnival in La Bañeza usually begins on Thursday, the day the Salsa group declares the museMuse
The Muses in Greek mythology, poetry, and literature, are the goddesses who inspire the creation of literature and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge, related orally for centuries in the ancient culture, that was contained in poetic lyrics and myths...
of carnival, a figure represented by a young girl of the city, chosen by the members of the group. In this act, in addition to the declaration, there is a preacher figure, theater shows, musicians and comedians. The Salsa group is one of the oldest groups participating in the parades.
Tranquilo Friday (Calm Friday)
The group Los +Turba2 begin the procession of San Turbadín at mid afternoon on Friday; with the naming of the “hermano +turbado”, a title given to an outstanding carnival participant; upon continuation, they leave the main square following a particular route through various bars of the city, the followers continue the procession, dressed in religious costumes, to the sound of a charangaCharanga
Charanga is a term given to traditional ensembles of Cuban dance music. They made Cuban dance music popular in the 1940s and their music consisted of heavily son-influenced material, performed on European instruments such as violin and flute by a Charanga orchestra....
band. Notably backing up the procession is the processional float of San Turbadín, carried by the “hermanos turbados”.
“Tranquilo Friday” gets its name from the celebration organized by the group Los Tranquilos where at the end of their annual dinner, they honor one or various carnival participants. After, there is a party attended by a multitude of costumed people. There, they declare their decision for the best group of the previous carnival, the most original group and a special appointment.
Saturday of Chispas (sparks)
Saturday, La Bañeza converts into a great improvisational theater filled with people in costumes that don’t stop interacting with the visitors. Traditionally, Saturday de Chispas, was called this due to the character El Chisposo, a cat who from the balcony of the townhall, would sing the popular song “Estaba el Señor don Gato”. The attendees would dress wearing original hats that they made themselves, decorated in allegorical representations or original touches of color; while the main square was lit up by the flares carried by the dressed up people. Today, this representation has given way to a crowd of people dressed in costumes from all parts of Spain. Even so, the name Saturday of Chispas still remains.The day begins in a totally surprising and spontaneous way. In the early morning hours, coinciding with the market of La Bañeza, many carnival participants perform small comic and theatrical acts evoking great interest among the visitors. This day is of increasing importance and is one of the greatest impulses by the young as it goes back to the roots of an institutionally disorganized carnival. Late in the afternoon, the proclamation giving the official start to carnival takes place (normally accompanied by musical acts, theatrical groups and comedians of the city). Then, many people dressed in costumes, attend the dinner of the exaltation of carnival, organized by the city council
City council
A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...
. Upon finishing dinner, the celebration begins with the sound of the brass bands of La Bañeza, allowing for the enjoyment of a night filled with jokes, pranks and humor by the disguised participants, in the center of the city.
Sunday of Carnival
Sunday morning, the Carnival Race is organized, being an allegory to the term the run of carnival. It consists of a gymkhanaGymkhana
Gymkhana is a typical Anglo-Indian expression, which is derived from the Hindi-Urdu word for "racket court," is an Indian term which originally referred to a place where sporting events take place. The meaning then altered to denote a place where skill-based contests were held...
that goes from the old train station and to the main square. All the participants are dressed up, going in front of people dressed as security forces
Security Forces
Security Forces can refer to:*United States Air Force Security Forces*Iraqi security forces...
who try to make sure no one reaches the end of the course. Although primarily for younger children, there are people of all ages. At 5:00 pm in the afternoon, the parade of the previous year starts, where groups and individuals wear the same costume they wore the previous year, accompanied by floats and brass bands. Also making an appearance in the parade is the queen of carnival, accompanied by her maids of honor and the muse of carnival.
Monday of Carnival
In any business in La Bañeza, one can find the owners and employees dressed up for carnival. On Monday, like Saturday morning, crowds of people dressed in costumes re-emerge, cheering through the streets of the city. Another important feature is to see the people at work, dressed up to the surprise of visitors. At 5:00 pm, the children's parade begins, where children are the stars in a colorful parade with a shorter route.Nochebruja
At night, starting at 12:00 am, Nochebruja begins. Created in 1985 by thousands of carnival enthusiasts coming from numerous geographical points of SpainSpain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. It's the busiest night of people in costumes that can go until the wee hours of the morning, in the streets and bars of the city, making it a major festival in northern Spain.
Tuesday of Carnival
The Tuesday parade of carnival through the streets of La Bañeza.The Tuesday of Carnival, at 5:00 pm, the big parade starts off, led by the muse of carnival along with the Salsa group and ending with the queen of the festival and her maids of honor. This is the most important day of the celebration, as all attendees dress in the costumes they designed and made throughout the year in secret. At the end, all the participants are given a bun filled with chorizo
Chorizo
Chorizo is a term encompassing several types of pork sausages originating from the Iberian Peninsula.In English, it is usually pronounced , , or , but sometimes ....
. The number of visitors is very important, but has led to circulation problems in traffic on the access roads to La Bañeza. The number of groups exceeds fifty. This day, along with August 16 are chosen as local holidays in the city.
Ash Wednesday
La peña La Sardina organizes the Burial of the SardineSardine
Sardines, or pilchards, are several types of small, oily fish related to herrings, family Clupeidae. Sardines are named after the Mediterranean island of Sardinia, around which they were once abundant....
, a funeral procession made up of the group members, characterized by a suit, coat, hat and long beard, the carriers of the coffin, a white tunic, hat and slippers and the mourners, representing the widows of Don Carnal. All of them are accompanied by a brass band that mixes the rhythms of carnival with those of the funeral. It starts in the Bar Industrial and goes to the main square where after a reading by the character of El Corvillo of ballads of satire and irony about what happened in the city during the year, bread, pickles and wine are freely distributed, and it ends with the burning of a figurine in the shape of a sardine.
Saturday of the Piranha
In the Mojao Neighborhood, the final events of the masquerade are organized, with special prices for the area for those who come in costumes. The original name of this day was Saturday of the piñata, but to differentiate and maintain the burlesque tone, we decided to change it to "Piranha Saturday". Some establishments celebrate the dance of the piñata.Announcer
The person chosen as the announcer of carnival. They are usually related in some way to the city.| Year | Announcer |
|---|---|
| 1979 | Victoriano Crémer Victoriano Crémer Victoriano Crémer was a Spanish poet, journalist and "official chronicler of the city of León, Spain." The Latin American Herald Tribune described Cremer as Spain's "longest lived poet" in 2009.... |
| 1984 | Maximino Brasa |
| 1987 | Isabel Baeza |
| 2003 | Alfredo Prada |
| 2004 | Antonio Nuñez |
| 2005 | Pedro García Trapiello |
| 2006 | Benigno Castro Martínez |
| 2007 | Florencio Carrera |
| 2008 | Polo Fuertes |
| 2009 | Georgie Dann Georgie Dann Georgie Dann , is a French singer who studied for eight years at the Conservatoire de Paris and developed his artistic career in Spain starting in the 1970s, focusing on summer hits, in addition to getting his Master's degree... |
| 2010 | Crispín d'Olot |
Acknowledgments
In 1990, recognized by the Crest of Tourism in the Silver category, and in 2002, earned the statement of Regional Tourist Interest by the Council of Castilla y León. In 2011, declared of national touristic interest by the Tourism Department.In 2008, thanks to a citizens’ initiative, signatures began being collected to support naming a city street carnival. More than 1,300 people of La Bañeza supported the cause with signatures and over 500 signatures were made over the Internet in a survey published on the website carnavaldelabaneza.com. La Bañeza already has the carnival's square, a green space that is missing only a symbolic sculpture to finish the project.
Music
Component of a charanga of La Bañeza, in the parade.The musical tradition of carnival in La Bañeza is reflected in group ensembles called charangas (brass bands). The most important charangas of La Bañeza are Los 4 Gatos, Rico - Rico y Ritmo Joven, who are asked to join those from other cities in Spain to play in their parades. To these formations, the group La Charra that musically enlivens the streets and taverns of La Bañeza with humor, must be added.
The summer
Summer
Summer is the warmest of the four temperate seasons, between spring and autumn. At the summer solstice, the days are longest and the nights are shortest, with day-length decreasing as the season progresses after the solstice...
sounds of artists such as Georgie Dann
Georgie Dann
Georgie Dann , is a French singer who studied for eight years at the Conservatoire de Paris and developed his artistic career in Spain starting in the 1970s, focusing on summer hits, in addition to getting his Master's degree...
, or Rafaella Carrà, are adopted as carnival songs, so playing these songs during the days of festivities is synonymous with carnival music. In addition, many of the brass bands have a number of these songs in their repertoire.
Carnival solidarity
In 2009, the "Day of exaltation of carnival" was organized in the prison of Mansilla de las MulasMansilla de las Mulas
Mansilla de las Mulas , Mansiella in Leonese language, is a municipality located in the province of León, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2010 census , the municipality has a population of 1,913 inhabitants....
, by private initiative. Carnival participants and members of groups of La Bañeza participated with inmates on a holiday, trying to bring carnival closer to the inmates and by doing so, make their time in the center pass more quickly. In 2010, the city council of La Bañeza and Red Cross of La Bañeza, launched a collection of funds to help the earthquake victims in Haiti
2010 Haiti earthquake
The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake, with an epicentre near the town of Léogâne, approximately west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital. The earthquake occurred at 16:53 local time on Tuesday, 12 January 2010.By 24 January, at least 52 aftershocks...
.
Studies about Carnival
In 2004, a summer course was organized by the University of Leon called Visions of Carnival, would be reflected in the publication of a book with the same name two years later, coordinated by José María Balcells.In 2006, the First National Congress of Carnival in La Bañeza was held, organized by the city council of La Bañeza, the University of León and UNED
Uned
The Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia , is the only state-run Spanish distance-learning university, with headquarters in Madrid, Spain...
, tackling songs, historical and other fields about the origin of the festival. Representatives were invited from other carnivals of Spain, such as Sitges
Sitges
*Church of Sant Bartolomeu i Santa Tecla . It houses two Gothic sepulchres , belonging to the an older church located on the same site...
, Cádiz
Cádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
, Ciudad Rodrigo
Ciudad Rodrigo
Ciudad Rodrigo is a small cathedral city in the province of Salamanca, in western Spain, with a population of about 14,000. It is the seat of a judicial district as well....
and Los Realejos
Los Realejos
Los Realejos is a medium-sized town in Spain, located on the north side of the island of Tenerife and part of the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife...
, participating in panel discussions on the theme of carnival. The musical participation was carried out by the folk group Tornadera from Leon, the troupe La Charra and joke Cadiz group Los Aguafiestas. In February 2010, the book containing the proceedings of the congress held in 2006 was presented, with the name Carnival: Tradition and Today.
Carnival online
In 2006, the first website about carnival in La Bañeza was born, coming to light the day before the start of the festivities. Since then, it is updated with various information, videos, news, surveys, forums, history and other aspects of carnival. Initiatives are started through the page by different participants of carnival like the naming of Plaza del Carnaval, a tribute to Molina, the execution of an allegorical mural by graffitiGraffiti
Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property....
artists of La Bañeza and the region or the idea to seek a declaration of Interest Party National Tourist.
In 2010, the spread of carnival on the internet intensified in the field of social networks, creating a facebook group, tuenti and twitter, and celebrating "The Day of the Carnival of La Bañeza on the Internet".
Gastronomy
In the varied confectioneryConfectionery
Confectionery is the set of food items that are rich in sugar, any one or type of which is called a confection. Modern usage may include substances rich in artificial sweeteners as well...
goods in La Bañeza one can find different products typical of this holiday, such as the Ears of Carnival, Carnival Masks or Dominoes.