Entierra de la Sardina/“Burial of the Sardine” La Mamola 2009

The burial of the Sardine Fiesta takes palce on Ash Wednesday at the beginning of Lent, and involves revellers in fancy dress costumes attending the funeral of a sardine! The sardine in question may be a real one in a coffin though sometimes a plastic or cardboard effigy is used. According to history, the burial of the sardine is a habit that comes from the nineteenth century, which symbolizes the beginning of Lent, ie the 40 days remaining until Sunday, and the prohibition of eating meat every Friday before the beginning of Holy Week. It symbolizes a sardine because, they say, it is what the consuming population were eating because their resources were few at the time. The photographs are from the La Mamola Fiesta and were taken by Sue Amor who is on holiday here.