February 8-14, Catalonia. Carnival

Winter Carnival (Carnestoltes) in Spain is a major week-long celebration of parties, parades, masked balls, communal meals, general merrymaking and debauchery before the beginning of Lent. Each town in the Costa Brava has its own traditions associated with Carnival and its own organized events.

The dates of Carnival change every year depending on two distinct calendars — the lunar cycle and the Christian holiday calendar centering on Lent, the Holy Week and the Easter Sunday dates. The last day of Carnival is Ash Wednesday, the day on which Lent begins. The first day of Carnival is always the preceding Thursday, known as Fat Thursday — not to be confused with Shrove Tuesday, or Mardi Gras, that is celebrated immediately before Ash Wednesday.

A Carnival parade is the most outrageous and fun element of celebrating Carnestoltes, that attracts the most participants and spectators in towns and villages of the Costa Brava coast. Lavish costumes, floats, extravagant dress, and beautiful masks are all common attributes. Children's parades are organized separately in many municipalities to allow the youngest locals to dress up and take part in the fun as well.

Carnival is all about overindulgence — is there a better way to indulge than by eating deliciously rich food? In the Costa Brava, communal snacks and feasts shared among neighbours are still an integral part of celebrating Carnestoltes, especially in towns like Capmany, Vidreres, and Agullana.

On Ash Wednesday, the Carnival festivities traditionally end with a satirical funeral known as "the burial of the sardine". In some towns, the figure of Rei Carnestoltes (Carnival King) is burned on a bonfire instead.

Because Carnival is a festival with moving dates, it may occur anywhere between January 29 and March 10. The festival dates are known years in advance so you can prepare your costume accordingly. To learn more about each town's Carnestoltes programme, visit your destination's tourism website a month or two before the festival.