The Carnival of Las Palmas

The Carnival of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is one of the oldest and most characteristic festivals in the capital of Gran Canaria. Since its foundation in the 15th century, more specifically in 1478, the city of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria has had the capacity to mix cultures, as people from many places have always arrived here. Since the 16th century, several documents mention the presence of Italians in the city, as well as their fondness for masked dances, which gradually became part of the popular imagination and culture of this beautiful island.

The first great step forward for the Carnival of Las Palmas took place in the 19th century with the appearance of socio-cultural institutions, since they had the capacity to organise various festivities. To this were added the first parades of floats and floats accompanied by masks, which also coincided with the time of the Círculo Mercantil, the Gabinete Literario and the Club Las Palmas.

However, the consolidation of the Carnival, which had begun to expand towards the docks and the neighbourhood of La Isleta, was impeded by state repression, as the idea of developing a festival under the name of "Fiestas del Invierno" (Winter Festivities) was left out. There were demonstrations in the form of dances and clandestine parties to keep it alive, but it was not before 1976, a few months after Franco's death, that a resident of La Isleta, Manolo García, obtained authorisation for Carnival to return to the streets. The first Patronato del Carnaval was then created by the inhabitants of La Isleta, who headed the organisation in the early years.

In the 1980s, the Carnival organisation had to become more professional and specialised. It asked for a bigger budget, more activities, and a municipal ordinance. All this led to the agreement between the Carnival Board and the City Council, closely followed by another step forward, in 1986, with the creation of the Las Palmas Carnival Foundation.

In the 1990s, the Sociedad Anónima Fiestas de Carnaval de Las Palmas was also created, and the Parque Santa Catalina was consolidated as the nerve centre of the Carnival, as the main events returned there. The year 1998 also marked an important change for the Carnival with the celebration of the first Drag Queen Gala, which exceeded expectations and soon became a reference point for the festival.

With the arrival of the new century, the Las Palmas Carnival really took off, reaching international levels. In 2001 the Promoción de la Ciudad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria S.A. was set up, and since then it has been in charge of the management and organisation of the Carnival. Today, the Carnival of Las Palmas is the festival with the greatest social and economic impact on the island, as well as one of its main tourist attractions. It has also become a festival capable of reinventing itself according to the signs of the times, with the incorporation of new acts and events, under the hymn Invitación al Carnaval, by Sindo Saavedra.

Just like the carnival in Rio, the carnival in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is an explosion of joy, music and colour that dresses the streets in celebration. During these festive days, the Gala de la Reina del Carnaval and the Gala de Elección del Drag Queen del Carnaval are held, in which the maximum representative of the festival and the Drag Queen of the Carnival are elected respectively.

At this time of the year the whole city is filled with costume parades, comparsas performing music and dances, murgas and floats. The main events of the Carnival take place in Santa Catalina Park, and include the massive participation of citizens in the Gran Cabalgata, the Mogollones and the closing of the celebration, also known as the Burial of the Sardine.

The Gala de Elección de la Reina is one of the biggest celebrations in the Carnival. At this, the woman who will bear the title of "Queen of the Carnival of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria" is chosen, and who is given the role of representing the Carnival until next year's edition. Everything takes place on the carnival stage where 4,000 people can enjoy the show live in the Parque de Santa Catalina, not counting those who watch it on television.

The Drag Queen election gala, started some 25 years ago, has become one of the most original contributions to the carnival of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. It is a musical show in which the main event is a Drag Queens contest, along with other singing and dancing performances. This celebration of diversity also takes place in Santa Catalina Park. Those Drag Queens who participate in this Gala have been previously selected days before, and they are joined by the two finalists of the pre-selections made in Madrid and Tenerife.

Other protagonists of Carnival are the murgas and comparsas. In the carnivals of the Canary Islands, whether in Gran Canaria or its neighbour, Tenerife, the murgas are a group of people who sing with humour and irony adaptations of popular songs in order to criticise politics or the problems of society in general. The comparsas are dance groups that organise a presentation of music, dance and colour to liven up the Carnival parades. Each year, competitions are held among both the murgas and the comparsas; the former are awarded for best performance and best costume while the latter are rewarded for being the best prepared.

Tortillas de Carnaval, also called "torrijas canarias", are a type of fried pancake and a traditional dessert made in Gran Canaria at Carnival time. However, over the years they have become an unseasonal sweet because of their deliciousness, as well as being inexpensive and easy to prepare.

According to local elders, people used to dress up in carnival costumes and join the serenade that went from house to house to have carnival omelettes and rice pudding. There were even children who dressed up to go and ask their neighbours for eggs to make these famous omelettes.

As with all traditional recipes, there are variations; ingredients have been changed or new ones have been added to flavour them. The original recipe includes eggs, milk, flour and sugar, and flavoured with a little aniseed and lemon to give it a unique flavour, but nowadays there are countless variations such as recipes in which star anise, mashed banana, roasted pumpkin pulp and even leftover stale bread or boiled potatoes, very typical of the area, are added.