Carnivals in Tarragona: multitudinous parades full of elegance and of brilliant examples of fabric crafts Next Carnivals in Tarragona: from 14th to 24th February 2009. Carnivals in Tarragona are one of the most important and interesting carnivals in Catalonia and in Spain. In Tarragona is found one of the most complete ritual sequences of the Catalan carnivals, so local and so universal that this is the synthesis that makes it special. During the carnival Tarragona lives moments of tradition, colour, rivalry, satire and entertainment. Also, the fire, another essential element, was inherited from ancient times. The rich ritual sequence of events starts with the building of a huge barrel and ends with its burning together with the effigies of the carnival King and Queen. On Saturday, the main parade takes place, one of the most multitudinous in Catalonia and in Spain, both for the number of participants as for the public. There are carnival groups, masked groups, zoomorphic figures, music and percussion bands, not to forget the traditional groups with fireworks (the devils, the dragon, the ox, the female dragon). Carnival groups stand out for their splendid clothes full of elegance and of brilliant examples of fabric crafts at the Saturday and Sunday parades. These are days full of light, fire and colour, when participants give free rein to their imagination, materialising their ideas on really colourful and flashy fancy dresses. Finally, the singularity of the performance of a death rite and funeral of the carnival king make this town one of the focal points of the carnival celebrations in Catalonia and in Spain. Tarragona, in the South East part of Catalonia, is one of the places in Spain with more history behind. A really important Mediterranean port in Roman time, Tarragona has been able to keep until today its ancestral culture. The carnivals from Tarragona are a proof of that because its origins are found in Roman times, with the symbols of the “Ninot” and the “Ninota” during the celebrations in honour of Saturn.