Carnival in Madrid

But I don't completely lose the German customs in Spain. From 09.02 to 14.02, 'Carnaval', the well-known carnival festival, also takes place here. However, it is celebrated a little differently here. Public alcohol consumption is always prohibited (and is punished with fines if caught) and carnival seems to be more of a big family celebration here. Yesterday, to kick off the festivities, I went to the 'Desfile de Carnaval' with a few friends, which is a big parade. It was definitely worth seeing and similar to the carnival processions in Germany, but at the same time very different. Traditional music was mostly played and many groups wore traditional costumes and performed dances. There were also many children who had a lot of fun participating. Social criticism was also present - there were various themes from nuclear waste to the Catalonia problem. It is also interesting that this big parade and the other events take place in different neighborhoods every year.

The most beautiful fact for me is the following: on Ash Wednesday, the mayor of Madrid (Manuela Carmena) receives a carnival brotherhood for the so-called burial of the sardine with a two-meter-long and 100 kg heavy chocolate sardine. Definitely worth seeing, I think!