Every year on February or March, we see how the school celebrates carnival for our children. Parties full of music, costumes and fun. Traditions that in some places are deeply rooted and that are always interesting to know. Because, What do we really know about this party?
The vast majority of us only know the tradition of costumes. Discover with us the origin of carnival and other traditions to enjoy with your children.
The origin of Carnival
Carnival has its origin in the festivities that were organized in honor of the god Bacchus. From christianity this pagan festival was adapted to the beginning of Christian Lent.
The etymology of the word Carnival refers to this fact. Since it is actually celebrating a "farewell" to the meat. It is Christian custom to keep vigil, eliminating meat during Lent, which begins on Ash Wednesday. We tell you the whole story in this link.
Carnival traditions
Carnival is celebrated all over the world, so it is not surprising that there is a great diversity of traditions about it. However, we will focus on those that occur most within our geography.
The most widespread customs in carnival revolve around masks, parades and music. However, within our geography we can also find other traditions and curious carnival characters.
The most famous carnivals in Spain are par excellence those of Cádiz and Tenerife. These being an explosion of color and music, in which not only is there fun, there is also room for satire and social criticism. In particular, the Cádiz carnival stands out for this, the lyrics of its chirigotas, choirs and troupes being the reflection of what happened during the year, having even been censored for years for this fact.
Representation where we see the Zipirot on the ground
However, as we have already said, in our geography there are more carnival traditions. Like for example the Lantz carnival, in which It is shown, on Shrove Tuesday, the execution of the bandit Otxin Honey. This is represented by a 3-meter doll with crossed arms, a printed blouse and a striking hat. The parade is accompanied by other characters that make it an original and representative procession. We meet him Zipirot, el Zaldiko, that Artozak and txatxos, characters that represent a curious scene in which the Zaldiko (wild horse) tries to knock down the zipirot (character made of sacks of hay and ferns) while the Artozak they try to shoe it and the txatxos they harass the attending public.
The character of the cigarette is the main protagonist of the Verín carnival parade.
Another curious tradition within the Spanish geography is the Introido, Galician tradition, being the point of reference that of Verín. The most prominent characters are the Cigarrones, who represent the tax collectors of the Counts of Monterrey, these are the lords of the Verín valley and they have their big day on Carnival Saturday.
Traditions to share with our children
As we have already seen, the traditions that develop in our territory are very diverse, but the really important thing about all of them is to share them with our children. It is in this way that they can be preserved.
The most beautiful traditions to share are those that make us feel good about ourselves, our culture and especially our children. They are those in which we see them enjoy and share time with them. So cheer up and share costumes, parades and masks with them. You can enjoy twice as much if you do it yourself, also sharing moments of crafts. Do not forget, the important thing is to spend time with them, transmit your example, your attitude towards life, your own culture, what better way than to have fun together.