The Burial of the Sardine: A Day of Transgression
By Borja Bandrés
The Burial of the Sardine is a ceremony that marks the end of Carnival. It takes place on Ash Wednesday and involves a parody of a funeral procession that culminates in the burning of a symbolic figure, such as the sardine—whose meaning we will explain later— and its subsequent burial. This ceremony symbolizes burying the past and the socially established order in order to be reborn with greater strength. It is a day of considerable celebration where people dance in masks as if there were no tomorrow, a moment of transgression of values, of liberation of primal instincts, of role reversal, and a propitious opportunity to freely express, generally through satire, criticism of social norms and authority.
Francisco de Goya - The Burial of the Sardine
Famous artists have depicted the Burial of the Sardine since its origins in the Middle Ages. For example, Francisco de Goya, in a painting that bears this name, created a work from a dark period in which the Aragonese artist produced other paintings such as "Bullfight in a Village," "Procession of Flagellants," "Auto-da-fé of the Inquisition," and "Asylum"—all paintings of traditions, customs, popular festivals, and superstitions where the common people are the protagonists in contrast to the institutions.
Josep Maria Rovira Brull - The burial of the sardine
Josep Maria Rovira Brull - The buried false sardine
(work sold)
"The False Buried Sardine" represents the festival in its most tragic aspect. The only thing that emerges after the burial of the dead sardine is the gluttony and drunkenness of attendees, rendered numb and sedated by food and drink. The two participants who are still moving find their heads replaced by skulls identical to those found inside the sardine. Added to this is a hat representing madness and the skull of a predatory bird. The set, shrouded in darkness, shares the same bluish-gray hue as the buried sardine filled with skulls and is laden with symbolism, as is all of Rovira Brull's work.
Josep Maria Rovira Brull - After the burial of the sardine
(work sold)
During the reenactment of the Burial of the Sardine, attendees often carry small paper sardines hanging from a cane. In some places, people are encouraged to wear mourning clothes, and in others, such as Cádiz, Córdoba, or some Latin American cities, they burn an effigy of Momo, the god of mockery and irony in Greek mythology. The festival is very often accompanied by a communal meal featuring sardines, a fish that, beyond its nutritional value, lends itself to various interpretations, mostly sexual, associating it with male genitalia. This interpretation alludes to the abstinence from sexual practices prescribed by Lent, which begins precisely after the Burial of the Sardine and represents a return to normalcy and seriousness.
Josep Maria Rovira Brull - The meat and the lent
Rovira-Brull's work will be on display from Friday, March 3rd to June 25th, 2023 at the Mataró Museum
