WE DO!
ISSUE NO. 1543
TRUST
EWN FRONT EXTRA
Carnival is coming!
New green route plea MORE than 250 people carried out a demonstration last Sunday (January 25) in the Plaza de Alaro to demand the creation of a new green route along the former railway line between Alaro and Consell.
Water cut THE water supply was disrupted for 10 hours in most of Manacor after a pipe broke as a result of the construction work currently being carried out in Calle Sebastia Rubi.
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CARNIVAL season is fast approaching and finishing touches are being put to costumes and floats in anticipation of the biggest and most colourful parties on the island. Akin to New Orleans’ Mardi Gras festivities, towns all across Mallorca will soon be filled with flamboyant costumes, elaborate floats and happy revellers indulging in one last big ceremonious fling of eating, drinking, dancing and music before Lent. In Spain, a traditionally Catholic country, carnival is traditionally celebrated around Shrove Tuesday and before the 40 days of Lent as a way to let off
steam and lose inhibitions for a while before the strict religious holiday prohibitions come into force. Many people in Spain had to pack up their
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costumes and forget about the carnival celebrations between 1937 and 1977 due to the strict regime in place in Franco’s time, but they have certainly made up
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for it since democracy arrived in 1978. Most towns hold some sort of parade with dancing and a carnival queen contest, with larger and more enthusiastic places adding song contests, drag queen competitions, fancy dress events and, of course, fireworks. Palma, being the largest city on the island, has the largest party and this year’s celebrations kick off on Saturday, February 14, with the Sa Rua and Sa Rueta parades over two days. Colour, parties, processions and fancy dress make this year’s carnival celebrations not to be missed.
Local TV chefs promote Mallorca in Madrid MASTERCHEF stars Vicky Pulgarin and Fabian Leon, both from Mallorca, are promoting local cuisine today (January 29) at the FITUR tourism fair in Madrid. Pulgarin, who won the most recent Spanish edition of the Masterchef TV show, and Leon, who came third in the first edition, were chosen for the second
gastronomical day of events planned to promote the Balearic Islands at the fair. The Govern regional government has a 560.5-square-metre stand at FITUR to promote the Balearics and strengthen their national tourism sector, which is the third most important for the islands and increased by 11 per cent in 2014,
with 2.2 million Spanish visitors registered. New technologies, sport, culture and gastronomy are just some of the attractions the government is highlighting at the fair, with an impressive display of video and TV screens and interactive applications designed to attract curious visitors to the stand.
Each of the islands has its own area on the stand, spread round an area with a sofa and interactive TV screen which visitors can use to have a look at the Balearic Islands’ new tourism website and plan their own trips to the area. The town halls of Alcudia, Manacor, Felanitx, Calvia, Pollença and Palma are also attending.