carnaval /carnival SALVADOR DE BAHÍA O EL RITMO DE LOS TAMBORES Calles abarrotadas de gente bailando al son de los tambo-res. Ese es el espíritu del Carnaval de Salvador de Bahía, una celebración que tiene muy presente la raíz africana de buena parte de la población y que tiene lugar del 17 al 21 de febrero. Durante los días de fiesta, cientos de personas bailan en las calles acompañando a blocos, tríos eléctricos (formaciones musicales que recorren las calles en camiones con amplifica-dores para aumentar el sonido de sus instrumentos) y afoxés (grupos nacidos de los candomblé religiosos), cuyos tambores marcan la marcha de una fiesta que tiene el récord Guinness de la mayor concentración humana festiva y simultánea en las calles de una ciudad. Y es que 20 kilómetros de gente bailando dan mucha alegría. There’s no place in the world where Carni-val isn’t celebrated. A festival of pagan origin but very linked to the Christian tradition. In February, before the start of Lent, a period of penance and sacrifice that pre-cedes Easter Week, music and dancing fill the streets in towns and cities all over the world. And although they look the same, each festivity has a unique feature. THE DANCES IN MUNICH In the Bavarian capital, the coronation of the Prince and Princess of Narshala (the ‘Kingdom of the Fools), which takes place in November, marks the beginning of the fes-tivity, whose main event is held on 21 February, Shrove Tuesday. On that day, in the Virtualienmarkt, the Prince and Princess of Narshala are responsible for opening the Tanz der Marktfrauen (the dance of the market women), a series of all kinds of dances that has been held sin-ce the 19th century. Another dance that you can’t miss is the Ball der Damischen Ritter (or Dance of the Mad Kni-ghts), where it is essential to wear a mediaeval costume. MILAN, AIRS OF A CIRCUS A week after Venice, Milan gets ready to enjoy Carneva-le Ambrosiano, especially its most important day, Satur-day, 25 February, when the main parade sets off from Piazza del Duomo. Besides floats and troupes, the parade inclu-des jugglers, pantomime and clowns who keep a care-ful eye on the many Milaneses dressed up as Meneghino (the good servant who makes fun of the nobles in the city). However, in Milan’s Carnival people don’t only dance, they also eat. It is impossible to resist delicacies such as chiac-chiere, strips of dough, fried and dusted in icing sugar. FANTASY IN TENERIFE Santa Cruz de Tenerife is home to the second most famous Carnival in the world, behind the din of samba music in the Carnival of Rio de Janeiro. All the inhabitants on the island take to the streets to sing, dance and parade with their amazing costumes. But if there is an event that spar-ks interest, it’s the big ceremony to choose the Carnival Queen (Wednesday, 15 February), an impressive compe-tition where the candidates show off their fantasy make-up and costumes, which have taken a year to prepare. PUNTA CANA, DAYS OF BACHATA AND MERENGUE Between parades that move to the rhythm of Caribbean sounds, the Diablo Cojuelo (Limping Devil), Roba la Gallina (the Hen Thief) and Rey Momo (King Momo) take possession of Dominican streets between 18 and 22 February. Rey Momo heads the parade that marks the beginning of the days on which the Diablo Cojuelo leaves his hiding place wearing a colourful costume, adorned by bells, mirrors, ribbons, a mask with long horns and a whip, which he uses to hit distracted onlookers on their bottom. Whereas Roba la gallina, usually a man dressed up as an extravagant woman, with a parasol and a large handbag where she would hide the stolen hen, encourages young people to follow her through the streets. PANAMÁ, THE PARADE OF THE POLLERAS Water and polleras (the elaborate Panamanian skirts that have been declared Intangible Cultural Heritage) are the two important symbols of the Panamá Carnival, which takes place from 18 to 21 February. Without forgetting of course the dance-filled nights, colourful floats, fireworks and the huge amount of food and drink that is consumed on the-se days. If you don’t end up soaked to the skin in the Moja-dera, a strange water party in which the whole town takes part, they say you haven’t ‘carnavalised’ properly. The same as if you don’t attend the Desfile de las Mil Polleras (Mil Polleras Parade) a unique parade in which women and gir-ls show off the national costume with a natural flair. BARRANQUILLA, THE BATTLE OF FLOWERS The great Colombian festival is the Carnival of Barranqui-lla, declared Intangible Cultural Heritage by the UNES-CO. Among the many festivities that are organised, the two most important moments are probably the begin-ning and end of the festival. It starts off with the Battle of Flowers (Saturday 18 February. This year they are com-memorating the 120th anniversary), a parade of floats in which the Carnival Queen, accompanied by her entou-rage and mythical characters, such as King Momo, María Moñitos and the Hombre Caimán (Alligator Man) dance without stopping, while throwing flowers to the specta-tors. It ends with the burial of Joselito Carnaval (Tuesday, 21 February), a man who dies after delivering his best for four days, although he comes back to life the following year. QUITO, THE FOAM PARTY All the neighbourhoods in the city are involved in the Car-nival that, over the years, has turned into a celebration of the city’s cultural diversity. One of the most curious events is the big battle of water, foam, flour and con-fetti in which children and young people take part. A war that takes place to the rhythm of music and dan-cing in which everyone wins. This battle takes pla-ce on Saturday, 26 February, in the Parque Inglés. SÃO PAULO’S ‘BLOCOS’ The capital of Brazil lives the Carnival as intensely as Rio de Janeiro and Salvador de Bahía. Besides the official Car-nival –which takes place on Friday and Saturday, 17 and 18 February, in the Sambódromo Anhembi with the com-petition between the samba schools– on the rest of the days São Paulo is a huge party. There isn’t a place in the city where it isn’t carnival, as the streets and squares are the settings for the street parties organised by the blo-cos, in which thousands of people continue to dance to the music coming from the floats. In addition, all the establish-ments open to the public organise their own parties, mea-ning that it’s impossible to remain just be an onlooker. SALVADOR DE BAHÍA OR THE BEAT OF DRUMS Streets overflowing with people dancing to the beat of drums. Thus is the spirit of the Carnival of Salvador de Bahía, a celebration that keeps the African roots of a lar-ge part of the population well in mind. It takes place between 17 and 21 February. During the days of the par-ty, hundreds of people dance in the street accompan-ying blocos, trio elétricos (music groups on floats that drive through the streets with amplifiers to increase the sound of their instruments) and afoxés (groups born from followers of the Candomblé religion), whose drums mark the pace of a party that holds the Guinness World Record for the largest concentration of people in street parties held simultaneously in a city. Indeed, 20 kilo-metres of people dancing give a lot of happiness. ENG