Carnival!

Masked balls in Venice, feathers and sequins in Rio, party beads and frisky college kids at Mardi Gras - in short: a wild, decadent party! The festival might be fully integrated into the fabric of Catholic rituals and celebrations, but it still has a firm hold on its pagan origins - even in its name. During Saturnalia - the Festival of Saturn - in Ancient Rome, people drove through town partying on a boat fastened to a cart, the so-called carrus navalis. This curious mode of transport eventually morphed into the name Carnaval or Carnival. The Catalan name Carnestoltes, on the other hand, is a reference to "forbidden meat" in allusion to the abstinence of Lent that follows the permissiveness of Carnival.

The "anything goes" attitude probably stems from the Saturnalia Festival too, which was infamous for its unrestrained revelry and orgiastic excesses. In other places around the world, debauchery still reigns supreme during the festival, but Carnival in Barcelona is comparatively tame. The city passed one of its first restrictions in the 14th century, apparently designed to dissuade people from riding around town in costume and hurling oranges at bystanders. During the dictatorship, the party was outlawed entirely. With the advent of democracy, it was re-introduced into public life and nowadays the city organises festive events, neighbourhoods hold parades, children's activities, and concerts, and local venues throw costume parties.

Celebrating carnival in Barcelona

In previous years, the city organised a massive parade along Avinguda Parallel, but this year - purportedly in an attempt to return to a more traditional carnival celebration - the Gran Rua has been nixed from the programme. Instead, the city is focusing on events in La Ribera (Ciutat Vella) and leaving the parades up to individual neighbourhoods. Carnival in Barcelona is also a great event for kids. The city organises a lot of events for the youngest revellers, and local kids get very enthusiastic about dressing up.

Carnival begins on Dijous Gras (Fat Thursday), February 16, with the arrival of the Rey Carnestoltes, the King of Carnival. This year, festive crowds will be welcoming his majesty in La Ribera. The neighbourhood will also host two Gran Sarau events and a Taronjada (taronja is Catalan for orange and this sounds suspiciously like a return to the orange-throwing-madness banned in the Middle Ages), which include costume processions, confetti battles and other antics.

Parades are being organised in Gracia, Sants and Horta and will take place on February 18. The Asociación Cultural de Barranquilla is once again organising a Colombian-style rua, also on February 18, a popular event that adds a colourful, vibrant note to the local festivities. According to sources on the organising committee, the municipal markets, especially Santa Caterina in La Ribera, will once again play a greater role in this year's carnival - what this role entails exactly is yet to be revealed. Carnival ends on Ash Wednesday, February 22, with the funeral of the Carnival King and the burial of the sardine, one of the most curious local Carnival customs.

Most local clubs and bars will be hosting special Carnival parties - and many institute a fancy dress (read: outrageous costume) door policy for the night. We're keeping our ears open for cool parties and will be posting information regularly on our Facebook Carnival Event. Check in with us for the latest news!

The heart of true carnival madness: Sitges

Whereas Carnival is a festive, but rather well-behaved affair in Barcelona, travel a few kilometers south to Sitges, and you'll find the kind of outrageousness most people associate with this event: extravagant floats, scantily clad people in sequins and feathers, dancing in the streets and wild club parties until dawn. Plenty of Barcelonans make an annual pilgrimage to Sitges to participate in Catalonia's best known Carnival celebration and if you're looking to seriously cut loose, I recommend you join them.

February 16-22, 2012