A sad day, a coffin, the women, or rather the mourners, crying inconsolably, the priest in front of the cortege, quoting his response. The whole town takes to the streets to, in many cases silently, go through the neighborhoods behind the deceased. What is the burial of the sardine and why is it celebrated?now that the Carnivals are approaching, surely you will be curious about this popular tradition.
What is the burial of the sardine
The burial of the sardine it is a funeral ceremony in full rule, as we have said before, with its priest, mourners and a huge funeral procession that accompanies the deceased through all the streets.
The deceased is nothing more than a sardine and the ceremony marks the end of the Carnival festivities. These festivals are celebrated in much of Spain and Latin America. It is a true parody of a funeral procession, yes, with a clear carnivalesque style.
This party takes place on Ash Wednesdaywhich is the same day that the Christian Lent. It’s a party with a high symbolic content.
The burning or burial of the sardine It symbolizes leaving behind the debauchery, vices and revelry. The return of reflection and order.
symbolically, we buried the past and the party to start one most collected and intense stage How is Lent? Lent is the prelude to Holy Week or Passion Week.
The ceremony It is celebrated in different ways, depending on the region. The most widespread begins in the main square, where a coffin with a sardine inside is placed.
around the coffin gather all the peoplethe most important places are occupied by a false priest, a false mayor and the mourners.
The mourners They are women dressed in rigorous mourning who will spend the entire ceremony crying for the sardine and throwing into the air exaggerated regrets for the loss.
the fake priestdressed for the occasion, will launch a sense of responsibilitypraising the virtues of the deceased sardine (as a symbol of Carnival), before going through all the streets of the town.
This ceremony culminates with the arrival of the funeral procession to the place where it will be burn the sardine. In some regions it is not burned, but he buries it. With this burning Carnival is over to give way to order, reflection and a new period such as Lent.
Is about put an end to partying, vices and abundance to reach a period of recollection and austerity. Let us not forget that with the beginning of Lent, Christians begin their period of recollection and sacrifices such as not eating meat on Fridays, which will culminate with Holy Week.
The Burial of the Sardine of Murcia is one of the most important in the world, and has been declared International party of touristic interest. In Murcia it is celebrated a week after Easter, in this case, its intention is the opposite. After going through the recollection of Holy Week, it gives way to fun and revelry.
In Murcia, a parade showr, full of color, fire, chariots, dragons and incredible creatures. Tons of toys are thrown from the floats and in this case, it ends with the burning of a giant fault sardine shaped. The final point is put by a huge fireworks display.
Why is the burial of the sardine celebrated: origin
I really don’t really know what it is. the origin of the Burial of the Sardine. Traditionally, Carnival ends on Tuesday and the Burial of the Sardine takes place on Ash Wednesday, as we have already mentioned, giving way to Lent.
Different Theories about the Origin of the Burial of the Sardine
Its origin is not very clear, although there is evidence of its celebration since the eighteenth century and possibly it is in this century where we can mark its origin.
According to some historiansit was not a sardine but a a slice of bacon which was called Sardine, symbol of the sins of the flesh. By burying the bacon, they ended the time of Carnival to start Lent. In Lent it was forbidden to eat meat.
Other historians attribute this celebration to a fasting symbolismbeing the sardine the most traditional food to take mid-morning.
Gomez Salazar, thinks that its origin responds more to political issues. It seems that Charles IIIhad at his court a minister named Grimaldi and of course, the people of Madrid very given to nicknames, they nicknamed him “the sardine”.
This nickname was given to him because of his appearance, he was a thin man, dressed in silver tissue that shone in the light. When Grimaldi left Spain to return to Italy, the people of Madrid fired him with a masquerade where he represented Grimaldi carrying a sardine.
The most reliable theory about the origin of the Burial of the Sardine
What all historians agree on is that It is a party that originated in Madrid in the middle of the 18th century.
Consulting the origins in the traditional Joyful Brotherhood of the Burial of the Sardinefounded in the 18th century and which to this day is the in charge of the Burial of the Sardine in Madrid. The origin of this tradition is:
In Madrid, during the reign of Carlos III, arrived at Villa y Corte a consignment to the Madrid markets of rotten fish, in poor condition. This fish gave off a very unpleasant smell which soon came to be perceived throughout the city.
To get rid of this nauseating stench, the king Carlos III, published an edict by which, it was ordered to take all the rotten fish and bury him on the banks of the Manzanares.
Nevertheless, This tradition that has been passed from generation to generation, it is not true. It is known because it does not appear in any file. However, what if is verified is the input of a consignment of pigs sick with plague.
The plague was one of the most feared diseases since in the 18th century, it caused many deaths, decimating the population.
But how can you go from pigs to sardines? We have discussed the explanation at the beginning. At that time it was normal for everyone Workers whether they were wage earners, braceros or sharecroppers, had 10 minutes for lunch. Due to their scant economy, lunch consisted of a small crust of bread with a piece of bacon. The strip of bacon was popularly called sardinePossibly this is where the confusion comes from.
The exact location of burial of pigs unknown, but possibly found located very close to what is now the Fuente de los Pajaritos, located in the Country House. It is for this reason that the Burial of the Sardine in Madrid ends.
exist graphic representations about these funny and popular scenes in the works of Francisco de Goyawho was also the first honorary brother of the Joyful Brotherhood of the Burial of the Sardine. Goya captured all the hubbub and joy of this festival in his famous painting “The Burial of the Sardine”.
Tour in Madrid by the Joyful Brotherhood of the Burial of the Sardine
It starts from the Hermitage of Saint Anthony of Florida for being the place of burial of the First Honorary Brother, Francisco de Goya.
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