Here’s a short post about an interesting ceremony that takes place every year on Ash Wednesday in certain parts of Spain: the Burial of the Sardine. As Carnival comes to an end and Lent is about to begin, attendees mourn a mock sardine as a symbolic goodbye to the festivities.

Many people in several cities participate in this centuries-old tradition and join the funeral procession to pay their last respects to the fish. For logistical reasons, the papier-mâché sardine is usually burned and not buried. Here are some pics that Diario de Madrid published last year.

The burial (or cremation) represents the end of the festivities and the "fun times", as Carnival ends and Lent begins, but it doesn't really have any religious connotations to it, people just perceive it as a funny tradition. It’s an interesting one, isn’t it? Have you ever been to any of the famous carnivals in the world?