Carnaval

Carnaval takes place in the weeks before Lent, usually in February or early March, but each city gives it a different shape. In Santa Cruz de Tenerife, one of Spain’s biggest carnivals opens with the dazzling Gala de Elección de la Reina, where contestants appear in enormous feathered and sequined costumes before nights of open-air dancing. In Cádiz, the heart of the festival is verbal: chirigotas, comparsas and other groups sing funny, sharp lyrics at the Gran Teatro Falla and later in plazas and bars. Barranquilla’s biggest parade is the Batalla de Flores on Saturday, with floats, cumbia and congo groups. In Montevideo, Carnaval stretches for weeks, with neighborhood stages called tablados and nightly murga performances.

On a Carnaval day, the rhythm changes from afternoon crowds to late-night singing and dancing. In Barranquilla, people shout the famous line “Quien lo vive es quien lo goza,” and the final character Joselito Carnaval appears on Tuesday to mark the party’s end. In Tenerife and Cádiz, the Entierro de la Sardina closes the season with mock mourning, costumes and comic procession. Montevideo’s murgas perform in painted makeup and chorus formation, mixing percussion with satire about politics and daily life. Food is local rather than fixed, but street eating is part of the experience: arepas de huevo are common in Barranquilla, and in Cádiz many people grab fried fish between performances while the singing continues into the madrugada.

The pack has 36 words spread across these domains.