Maspalomas Carnival

This video is dedicated to all those who have not yet been lucky enough to experience the Maspalomas Carnival live on site.

Of course, this 15-minute film cannot replace the actual experience.
But we can serve up a small canapé to whet your appetite for this event.

The shownotes should also support this aim with the written word:

How can you describe such an emotional topic as carnival for beginners in just a few sentences?

Well, you could mention

• that the ancient Egyptians already celebrated a lavish festival in honour of the goddess Isis and that a float in the shape of a ship played an important role here, that this float, laden with a statue of the goddess, travelled through ancient Egypt, with costumed revellers accompanying the procession, and that the Latins later called this float of Isis "Carrus Navalis" - from which the term carnival developed,

• that the ancient Greeks celebrated debauched festivals in honour of the God Kronos and the Romans did the same in honour of Saturn and that it is recorded, at least for the ancient Romans, that during the festivities social and societal barriers fell, masters and slaves swapped roles and during the so called Saturnalia the right of free speech was allowed, from which the freedom of fools developed,

• that these customs spread throughout the Roman Empire and were later mixed with Christian influences in the Middle Ages and that this gave rise to the idea of having a big last-minute-party, drinking and eating meat before Lent arrived when they had to shout: "Farewell, meat", and since Latin was still the official language in the Middle Ages, it was officially called "Carne vale“,

• that very different forms of carnival have developed depending on the region and climate, the most famous ones are the Brazilian, Rhenish and Venetian carnivals,

• that the character of the Canarian carnival is due to the geographical location of the archipelago and has therefore become a melting pot for Latin American, African and European influences,

• that the carnival in Santa Cruz on Tenerife celebrates itself as the second largest carnival in the world (only Rio is larger), though there are only a good three dozen floats and only 250,000 spectators in the streets of the city, while Maspalomas has got 100 floats and more than 400,000 revellers,

• that the "Carnaval Internacional de Maspalomas" is celebrating its 50th birthday this year.

All this could be mentioned. 

But does this information really help us to understand carnival?

No, because you don't have to understand carnival, you have to comprehend it!

To comprehend: This sensual verb makes it clear that you have to feel, hear, smell and taste carnival in your own body.
Carnival cannot be understood with the mind, it can only be comprehend with the senses.

This is especially true of the Maspalomas Carnival. Because it is extremly colourful, loud, crazy, absurd and blessed with a great sense of humour.

Everyone is invited to simply join in. Nobody is marginalised. Everyone is equal at carnival (apart from the Queen of carnival, who is a little more equal).
We have fun together, forget about the everyday worries of work and family, forget about illness, war, inflation and even the fears that dark forces are currently trying to stir up in us through disinformation and hate speech.
None of this plays a role in carnival, unless you make fun of it.

Sober-minded Protestants and Puritans might object that carnival is an escape from reality.
No, carnival is a relaxing holiday for the soul, a short trip to another world. A world where are only friends and joy for a few hours. Carnival is one big family.

Neither films nor words can help you comprehend the Maspalomas Carnival: you have to experience it for yourself.

So is it a waste of time to watch this film if you don't understand anything anyway?

No, it's 15 minutes well spent, because this film should arouse your interest and give you a good reason to be part of this big, lovable family called carnival next year and to dance, laugh and simply be happy in the streets of Maspalomas. This film might change you life!

You can find more colourful pictures in our Google photo album.

Further information about us, our CoLiving project, mobile working in Gran Canaria, Maspalomas and the Canary Islands are available on our website.

Thanks for your attention.

-Guido-