Carnival in Full Swing

You cannot escape Carnival in the Canaries. A lot of my Spanish friends comment on how they prefer Carnival to the Christmas festivities. Can it be compared? Well although there is no worship, it is a religious festival. Its normally associated with catholic countries. It is celebrated around the start of lent and for this reason the dates change every year as the Easter dates change. There is no firm evidence as to where the word carnival comes from as although it is celebrated around religion and fasting, it is thought to have been celebrated in earlier times for different reasons. As many countries have different takes on carnival here in Lanzarote its a fun time and an excuse to dress up and forget about everything else. In 1980 this time of year was declared a Festival of Tourist International Interest. In the next week the banks will only be working half days and Tuesday is a bank holiday. Everyday there are competitions and fiestas in the streets. This is the main Carnival in Lanzarote celebrated in the capital of Arrecife. In the weeks to come it will travel around the island being celebrated in villages and resorts as they have their own special weekends. Its not uncommon for carnivaleros to take part in every procession.