There were all kinds of activities going on this weekend for Carnival Madrid, a festival leading up to Ash Wednesday. I went to a parade last night at dusk, and even most people watching the parade were all dressed up in costumes and masks. On Wednesday, they will have the "Burial of the Sardine," which is a tradition where a bunch of men dressed in black coats and hats proceed through the streets with a coffin containing an effigy of a dead sardine. The Burial of the Sardine "ridicules the ecclesiastical tradition of burying the fat to mark the beginning of Lenten fasting."
I also attended mass today at the Santa Barbara church. Everything was pretty much the same as a typical Catholic mass, except spoken and sung in Spanish. It was a great experience, and it was really neat to see the church all lit up!
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| A street theater play marking the beginning of the festivities |
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| The parade |
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| Plaza de Cibeles |
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| Santa Barbara church all lit up |
