Manilva Carnival

Manilva Carnival

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Carnival time on the Costa del sol is a festival of music, colour and culture. Manilva carnival, held in an area of Spain’s south west coast in February, when thousands of locals and visitors alike descend upon this traditional Andalusian village and region, to be treated to a spectacle unlike any other. Manilva itself is a municipality just under 100km west of Malaga, and 35km east of Gibraltar, though it also encompasses inland areas and the old village of Manilva itself. The area also includes coastal towns of La Duquesa and Sabinillas, and it’s in Sabinillas that the carnival festivities begin, before moving on to other parts of the region.

There is usually a huge procession at Manilva Carnival with floats and costumed revellers, and later a purpose-built stage, where groups of dancers and singers from Spain, nearby Africa, and South America, add an international and cultural flavour to the proceedings, well into the night.

More recently, the parades have been incorporating more themes appealing to today’s younger generation, with people dressed up as famous cartoon characters while dancing on the floats or in the streets. There are also mini street performances by small drama troupes, who re-enact stories either past or present, usually with a humorous twist. Carnival is traditionally a winter activity in Spain, as it is celebrated the season just before Lent. Historians say the word ‘Carnival’ is derived from the Latin word carnelvarium, meaning ‘to remove meat’. In days gone by, Catholics were forbidden to eat any form of meat during the forty days of Lent, so the idea was that the Carnival would be your last chance to enjoy a good feast, before the beginning of Lent. These days the religious meaning has probably been lost, though the extent of the feasting in Andalucia sure hasn’t changed!