Burial of the Sardine
Most food festivals celebrate enjoying something delicious — especially when it’s in season. This one celebrates the ending of a necessity to eat a food: specifically, the sardine.
The Entierro de la Sardina (“Burial of the Sardine”) is a traditional Spaish parade which normally closes carnival celebrations.
In Murcia, Spain, however, this event takes place later, on April 26, 2014, after Easter celebrations at the end of the following week. The festivities date back to 1850, when a group of students decided to form an entourage presided over by a sardine, symbolizing fasting and abstinence, to relive the fiesta celebrated at carnival.
Thirty or so “sardinero” groups make up the enjoyable “Entierro de la Sardina” parade. These groups also liven up the city with street entertainment on the days before the parade. The night before, the Testament of Lady Sardine is read from the balcony of the town hall. It takes a humorous look at current political and social issues.
The following day is the big cavalcade, which has two different parts: the “cabecera”, with “giants and big-heads”, carnival groups and brass bands; and the floats, dedicated to the gods of Olympus, where thousands of toys are thrown out into the crowd. They all accompany the sardine to the place where it is burned, with a firework display and a huge people’s fiesta that lasts into the early hours.
How can a Road Trips Foodie resist?
(Photo courtesy of Spanish Tourism)
