Outandabout March 2022 Issue195

30 | OUT AND ABOUT COSTA BLANCA
Why do they
bury a sardine
in Spain?
The Burial of the
Sardine Fiesta
Usually there is a fiesta for the Burial of the
Sardine but it has not been confirmed this
year but here is some information on the
fiesta if it takes place.
Glitz, glamour, music, dancing – and people
wearing giant fish heads. Yes this happens in
Spain. The Burial of the Sardine. Legend suggests
the festival dates back to the reign of Carlos III.
According to the story, the king planned to celebrate
the end of the festival period and ordered sardines
to be served, only for high temperatures to cause the
fish to go off, which were then buried to disguise
the smell.
Ash Wednesday is celebrated on Wednesday
seven weeks before Easter and the day after Mardi
Gras also referred to as Fat Tuesday. This is a
Christian observance which represents the first day
of Lent and the starting of approximately 6 weeks of
fasting and penance.
Days to Ash Wednesday 2022
Wednesday, March 2nd is day number 61 of the
2022 calendar year with 1 month, 1 day until Ash
Wednesday 2022.
The “Burial of the Sardine” (Spanish: Entierro de
la sardina) is a Spanish ceremony celebrating the
end of carnival and other festivities. ... The “Burial
of the Sardine” is celebrated on Ash Wednesday and
is a symbolical burial of the past to allow society to
be reborn, transformed and with new vigour.
Now more than 150 years old, the festival takes
place on Saturday April 7 with a large parade
through the streets, attended by thousands of
costumed participants, with decorated floats,
music, dancing, fireworks and... large fish heads
everywhere.
Ash Wednesday – 2nd March, 2022 – The Burial of
the Sardine. This is the first day of Lent and on this
day is an event that officially closes carnival known
as the Burial of the Sardine. This is one of the most
surreal carnival celebrations that occurs around the
world.
It’s a bit of a bizarre custom. The mad heady days
of carnival are finished off by the solemn burial of
the sardine. But why do the Spanish bury anything
after Carnival, and why a sardine in particular?
To answer that, we must take a step backwards in
time, to a time when superstition and religion ruled.
The entierro de la sardina is a ceremony that
winds up Carnival across Spain and its South
American former colonies. The burial (the entierro)
is a carnival parade that parodies the funeral rites.
A cavalcade of clowns and revellers accompany
a symbolically grotesque figure, which is usually
a sardine. The sardine is taken to a spot outside
of town and buried amongst much cat calling and