As is already tradition, one more year la university community and the population of Real Sitio and Villa de Aranjuez They enjoyed together Burial of the Sardine festival, which says end to Carnival festivities, thanks to agreement between the URJC and Town hall of the locality.

La Sardine es chosen by competition from among the models made by second-year students of the Degree in Fine Arts. In this edition the Winners were Javier Barbero Muñoz, Laura Cañada Morales, Inés del Castillo Álvarez and Jorge Escobar Cadalso. The ephemeral sculpture is built in the university classrooms under the supervision of the project directors, teachers Ana Balboa, Marta Linaza (both from the Sculpture area) y Emma García-Castellano (Painting area), With the collaboration of students, other teachers y technical staff. Bill Town hall of Aranjuez, represented by First Lieutenant Mayor and party councilor Mr. Miguel Gómez Herrero contribute to the grant of this beautiful project.

As explained by Professor García-Castellano and can be seen in the photographs, in this 2024 edition the winning sardine consisted of multi-colored rectangles as pixels, who They hung from a wooden structure and that, with the movement, they developed gentle rockings, generating a sensation of waves in the water.

La day of celebrations started with a costume contest in the building of the Old Pavia Barracks, Where the creativity and wit of the students were the protagonists, since many of them they made the costumes themselves. The event was also enlivened by animation and music DJ Chechu, who has already been collaborating in the event last three years. The contest was very close: group costume "Reinforced Concrete" rose like winner by acclamation popular, although there was a wide variety of themes that were very successful: "The Mops" or those who opted for costumes that evoked the 18th century and Marie Antoinette. Without forgetting the traditional “Pirates”, to the mythical characters of Disney and even to “Fishermen and Sardines.”

After the contest, students, teachers, families, Villa assistants and a entourage formed by a troupe of costumed students and teachers, as well as a musical charanga They accompanied the Sardine, who He walked through the streets of Aranjuez to the Plaza de la Constitución. After his tour, La Sardina was burned in front of the City Hall and, with it, all the sorrows of those present there. 

When asked about the activity, the students agree on the need for this type of initiatives. “We are in favor of organizing more events of this style, since it is a way to bring together classmates from other grades and get to know them”, they claim Bertha Pared and Ana Isabel Cruz (students in the Double Degree in Fashion Design and Management + Comprehensive Design and Image Management). Sara Martínez, student of the Degree in Fine Arts Degree in Fine Arts He commented that “I love the Burial of the Sardine because it allows all the students on this and other campuses to express themselves through clothing. I would like to see more events of this type, both musical and painting and sculpture, held.”.

This day shows,as in previous years, capacity of local traditions as creative engine y link between various groupsas well as between people of different generations. The Collaboration of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities with the City Council also gives it added value by constituting the perfect link between students and teachers of various degrees, and between university community and society.

Congratulations to students, teachers and organizers!

• Text by Helena Domínguez and Eva G. Gutiérrez
• Photographs by Miguel S. Moñita.

More photos of the event at  FAH social networks: Instagram and X: @fah_urjc, Linkedin: Faculty of Arts and Humanities URJC.