The Fine Arts degree ends the Aranjuez Carnival with its traditional sardine

Alberto Vina Azores

Carnival is one of the most important festivals in the Spanish calendars. Documented since the Middle Ages, it has been celebrated for hundreds of years, and its final date, the well-known burial of the sardine, marks the beginning of Lent.

In Aranjuez, the students and professors of the URJC Fine Arts, Design and Fashion degrees, as well as the Student Union for Aranjuez (UEPA) play an important role in this festival. In addition, since 2003 the Fine Arts degree has specifically been in charge of the design and construction of the sardine.

Emma García-Castellano, professor of the Fine Arts degree, explains that last year a research agreement was signed between the URJC and the Aranjuez City Council: "Through it, the university awards a prize for the best model and the City Council provides us with the space and the materials to carry them out”.

The sardine, protagonist of the Carnival

Regarding the design and construction of the sardine, García-Castellano indicates that "it has been carried out in compliance with the premises for an ephemeral work, since the intention of the project is to integrate the playful with the artistic and the university world with the city that welcomes us ”.

The sardine was made of wood, rope and paper, and was one of the most colorful and pictorial in recent years. It was 5 meters long and 2 meters wide, and was kept very secret until the time of the parade, which made a new route this year. However, its outcome was inevitable, and it ended up burning in the Plaza de la Constitución.