Carnaval part 1- Chirigotas

Friday night: watching of the Chirigota finals. A chirigota is the name of the groups of singers that perform each year during Carnaval. These performances are a huge deal, and some groups even begin to practice months and months in advance. The best groups are usually composed of roughly 15 people who have been performing together for years and years, and each consists of mostly singers with one or two instruments, including a guitarist and possibly a drummer. The groups dress up in elaborate themed costumes and perform parodies of songs, replacing the lyrics with humorous lyrics poking fun of politics, the church, the people, etc. (I can’t help but be reminded of Harding’s Spring Sing, although much less politically correct…)

There are two types of Chirigotas; the first are those that perform and compete for weeks leading up to Carnaval. These performances take place in Cadiz’s great theater, La Gran Falla, which is sold out weeks in advance. Friday night is the opening night of Carnaval and the cumulation of all these performances when the best groups of the weeks before compete for first place in the final. This is the night that people stay in with their families and watch the TV- its almost as big a deal as, for example, the American Idol final. Only this final lasts until 4am. (And Mom always said that Idol final lasted too long…)

Los Puretes del Caribe performing in the Gran Falla

Being American, we didn’t have any strong interest in the final, but seeing as how we are trying to appreciate the culture, we put on the show and had a night in front of the TV. My favorite group was called “Los Puretes del Caribe,” and the theme was about the older men who go to the disco to scope out young girls- hilarious.

Illegal chirigota in the street

The second type of Chirigotas is the “illegal” Chirigota. This only means that they are unofficial so they don’t perform in the Gran Falla, but spend the week performing in the streets and restaurants. They will walk from place to place in the street, attracting a huge crowd wherever they stop to perform. Unfortunately, the streets of Cadiz are not very wide, so you can just give up the idea of easily walking by if you happen upon a Chirigota. If you happen to know somebody in a Chirigota, it is common to follow them from place to place in the streets, drinking and chatting with the singers in between performances. It’s like a big, outdoor, transportable, singing house party.