Carnival: The Arrival of the King

Sorry, don't know the spanish phrase. But my Catalan Carnival 2009 guide says "Arribo de sa Majestat Carnestoltes." 

In a word, spectacular. It was truly spectacular, and I mean that in the traditional meaning of the word. After all, don't carnivals originate from ancient rites of spring? You know, celebrating the end of winter and the arrival of the new planting season? Wine and fertility? Of course such

 celebrations were integrated into the Catholic church a thousand or so years ago. And the celebration of spring became connected to Easter ceremonies. But the associated bacchanalia lingers. And hundreds of wildly costumed dancers, fireworks, music, lights, dancing fountains, and special effects are much more entertaining than a skinny Jewish guy tacked to a Roman instrument of torture any day. 

In the stuffy English-speaking world you would pay fifty bucks or so to see such an event. But here it's just part of the public fiesta. It took place near La Fragatta, in the big space below the church and by the sea. A single firework slithered into the sky and fractured the air with a bang that echoed in your chest. Lights and lasers danced on the huge sea wall and up the stones of the church. A single dwarfish figure emerged from a barrel at the edge of the stage. 

His face was a mask with a huge nose (the Catalans seem to have a thing for big noses). As he climbed onto his barrel another figure joined him on the stage, this one a waif-like female. She climbed up a pair of hanging strips of fabric and performed an arial dance. At the conclusion of her acrobatics she handed him a large reed flute (a la Pan, see what I mean about the Pagan celebration thing?).

Playing the flute summoned a burst of new music and lasers shining on the wall depicting rain. Suddenly the massive center section of the stage became a dancing water fountain. Fireworks crackled and spat overhead. A troupe of blue-costumed dancers flooded down from the left side of the church. Some of them carried lighted umbrellas. These represented the element water (in case you haven't been paying attention, ladies and gentlemen and the rest of you). And the water queen (I guess, I couldn't see his/her face from the elaborate mask) made her way to the stage. 

Next came earth: a change in music, and different pattern in the dancing fountain, different fireworks, and leaf and flower lasers. A troupe of dancers in green and brown accompanied their earth queen to the stage. 

Then came fire with red and orange costumes. With orange light,s the water fountain on the stage looked like lava. Fire breathers and baton twirlers arrived on the stage. Their song was actually that Prodigy song from a few years ago, "Firestarter." And the fire royal person joined the other two. 

You'll never guess what happened next. They brought out a huge tuna and sausage pizza and everyone began to feast. No, the air queen and her retinue came out. More music, more fireworks more spectacle.  

The four royal personages did a little ritualistic circle dance. The king descended on a zip line from one of the nearby buildings dressed as a phoenix. He delivered his speech. To be honest I know almost no Catalan, so most of it was lost on me. I did catch "fuck the crisis" and something like "fuck the government." Basically he was encouraging everyone to put aside all the worries of modern Catalunia and party like mad persons. (I've been told that his speech was a great improvement over most kings who tend to yammer on about how Sitges is better than Villanova and Sitges is better than Garaf and and Sitges is better than Castelldefels and independence for Catalunia and so on and so on and scooby-dooby-dooby. 

Then the all-singing all-dancing stage play became a road show. It spilled into the streets, joined by drum groups and turned into a parade that wound through town for what seemed like hours. According to my handy-dandy Carnival 2009 guide it ended at park Can Bota where the Carnival Queen was chosen. I missed that bit. By then I was already hitting the bars. 

Viva Sitges!