We are hoping for a nice warm sunny day this year, as the weather in Ibiza this past week was not really good for walking around town alone in your thong and a feather comforter.

If you would like to see the Ash Wednesday Parade, be sure to find out which association has organized this year’s parade and in which part of Ibiza town. A few years ago it was the carnival society of Dalt Vila, probably on a high budget and was wonderfully catered. The members were all dressed in black baroque costumes, including high powdered wigs and black voiles. The makeup on the women as well as the men was really great! The association members, including their children in baroque mini-version costumes, walked down the street crying actedly. Then began a dramatic death march. Men in top hats and pawn coats walked behind the drum band, carrying a stretcher on which lay a large sardine made of silver fabric, followed by stilt walkers again. Sardines were ritually burned at the port and real grilled sardines were handed out to spectators.

If you are unprepared in town on that Wednesday night you won’t know what you see! We were quite startled by all that dramatic violence, but eventually we understood what was going on. And eating those sardines is a bit like “haringhappen” in Dutch Brabant and Limburg, after going to church for your ash cross.

So …. If the sun is shining this coming weekend and you’re on the island, don’t miss the carnival!