Carnival is a worldwide celebration that mixes elements of various cultural traditions. Celebrated before the period of Lent, this holiday has ties to Catholic traditions. Spain is famous for its celebration of Carnival, in the Canary Islands, the south, and in Galicia. In Galicia, the celebration is also known as Entroido.
This year, I was able to experience Entroido in the city of Ourense and some of the famous towns around it, including Xinzo de Limia, which holds the largest Carnival celebration in all of Spain.
Entroido is one of the most important cultural celebrations of the year in Galicia. Schools were closed for Carnival on Monday, Tuesday, and Ash Wednesday across Galicia. This offers residents a five-day weekend to travel, dress up and celebrate. Many cities and towns host multi-day parades, full of traditional Galician music with bagpipes and people dressed up in a variety of costumes. The costumes worn for Entroido are similar to the costumes featured in American Halloween. Dressing up in Galicia is not just for children. People of all ages join in the festivities and get very creative with their costumes. Many people use paper-mache and extensive makeup to ensure that their costumes come to life.
