Carnival at Vilanova i La Geltrú
The Catalonian seaside town of Vilanova i La Geltrú is one of the few to have defied carnival prohibition under the Franco regime, and over the centuries the locals have retained many lively and bizarre traditions.
The celebrations start on Jueves Lardero, or Fatty Thursday, with the meringue wars and meringue cavalcade (La meringada). Every bakery outlet in the town participates in this event, handing out their wares to eager children. Invariably, everything is swiftly coated with a meringue crust.
Adults don't necessarily miss out on the frolics. The whole town takes part in the masquerade (Las masqueras) and the sweets war, or Batalla de Caramellos. Couples dress in the colours of the flag of their respective carnival society and jump up and down to the choruses and rhythms of the traditional carnival charrangadas and military fanfare music. Once the masses reach the Plaza de Coles the first sweets are thrown, and within a very short time this becomes an exchange to put any food fight to shame.
In addition to the confectionery battles, there are cereal-throwing wars for the very young, jack-in-the box feather-clad minstrels (Moxó Foguer), that run the carnival route on two-wheeled tea boxes, occasionally popping up to scare the girls, and a popular event entitled the burial of the sardine (Entierro de La Sardina), a Spanish tradition that ridicules the ancient ecclesiastical tradition of burying the fat to mark the beginning of Lent and fasting.
During carnival the usual social boundaries are ignored, values are turned on their head and carnival choruses reduce the year's events and personalities to the ridiculous with a healthy dose of burlesque. To find out more, make sure you are one of the lucky ones who are there.
| Contact Details | |
|---|---|
| Name: | FAC (Carnival Association) |
| Email: | carnaval.vilanova@vilanova.cat |
| Phone: | +34 938 930 101 |
| Address: | Sant Sebastià, 11, Vilanova i La Geltrú |
| Town Information: | Vilanova i La Geltrú |
| Full Name: | |
| Directions: | The town is 45km from Barcelona on the A 16; 45km from Tarragona on the C-246 and 30km from Barcelona Airport. |
| Contact Details | |
|---|---|
| Name: | FAC (Carnival Association) |
| Email: | carnaval.vilanova@vilanova.cat |
| Phone: | +34 938 930 101 |
| Address: | Sant Sebastià, 11, Vilanova i La Geltrú |
| Name: | Barcelona Central Tourist Office |
| Location: | Barcelona |
| Address: | Plaza de Catalunya 17, 08002 Barcelona |
| Phone: | +34 93 285 3834 |
| Fax: | +34 93 304 3155 |
| Name: | Vilanova i La Geltrú Town Hall |
| Location: | Vilanova i La Geltrú |
| Address: | Plaza de la Vila, Vilanova i La Geltrú, Catalonia, Spain |
| Phone: | +34 93 814 0000 |
| Name: | Barcelona Tourist Office |
| Location: | Catalonia |
| Address: | Aeroport de Barcelona Terminal A, 08820 El Prat de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain |
| Email: | ot.aeroportbcn.ctc@gencat.net |
| Phone: | +34 93 478 4704 |
| Fax: | +34 93 478 4736 |
| Name: | Catalonia Tourist Office |
| Location: | Catalonia |
| Address: | Pg de Gràcia, 105, 08008 Barcelona |
| Email: | turistex@correu.gencat.es |
| Phone: | +34 93 484 97 55 |
| Fax: | +34 93 484 98 20 |
| Name: | Spanish National Tourist Office |
| Location: | Spain |
| Address: | José Lazaro Galdiano, 6, Madrid 28036 |
| Fax: | +34 913 43 35 00 |
| Name: | Spanish National Tourist Office (TourSpain) |
| Location: | Spain |
| Address: | José Lazaro Galdiano, 6, Madrid 28036 |
| Phone: | +34 913 43 35 00 or UK: +44 (0) 20 7486 8077 |
| Name: | Spanish Tourist Board (London) |
| Location: | Spain |
| Address: | PO Box 4009, London, W1A 6NB |
| Email: | info.londres@tourspain.es |
| Phone: | +44 (0) 20 7486 8077 |
| Fax: | +44 (0) 20 7486 8034 |
