The Entierro de la Sardina (Burial of the Sardine) is the most original closing ceremony in the world. On Ash Wednesday, the day after Mardi Gras, a giant papier-mâché sardine is paraded in a funeral procession through the streets of Santa Cruz, mourned by mourners (men dressed as grieving widows), before being symbolically burned by the seaside.
The symbolism is simple: we bury the Sardine to bury Carnival. But the tears are fake, the speeches are absurd, and the ceremony is a delicious blend of mock solemnity and humor. It's a Spanish tradition that Santa Cruz has adopted and completely twisted to its own style.
An Uncertain Origin
No one really knows where this tradition comes from. The theories are many: a symbolic burial of Lent, a parody of a bourgeois funeral, or even the legend of a shipment of pork sent by King Charles III in 1787, whose cargo had rotted on the way, only a barrel of salted sardines remained, which the people allegedly burned in the streets. The absurdity is part of the fun: we mourn the end of the party while laughing.
Come dressed as a "viudo/a" (widower/widow) to participate in the procession. A black umbrella or a veil is enough to blend in with the mourners, locals love it when visitors play along. Stay until the quema on Avenida Marítima: this is when everyone starts singing and dancing around the fire. After midnight, the bars nearby continue until the early morning even though Carnival is officially over.
- Procession from the city center, bonfire by the sea (Avenida Marítima / Rambla de Santa Cruz)
- Free
- Ash Wednesday (the day after Mardi Gras)
- Procession: 8 PM, Bonfire: around 10:30 PM
- Widow/widower costume highly recommended
- Final event of Carnival, everything returns to normal the next day