From the Parranda Marinera de Buches, we invite you with great enthusiasm to participate in the Arrecife Traditional Carnival parade, which will be held this February 3rd. The appointment is at 11:00 in the morning at the Pescadería dock, where we will inaugurate the boat that the master Agustín Jordán has created for La Parranda Marinera de Buches with the sponsorship of the CACT, the name of the boat is “el volador” (the flyer).
We want to ask you a special favor: help us bring back the essence of the traditional carnival on the 3rd. Dress up as a little mask as your grandparents used to do, as an old man or old woman, with a sheet or in the old way. From “Los Buches” we believe it is essential and urgent to rescue this essential cultural heritage for Lanzarote and Arrecife.
Dressing up for Carnival is very easy:
1. Mask: Choose a simple one, it can be black, white or the color you prefer. If you like, you can make it with a piece of fabric.
2. To cover the face: Use a sheet, a scarf, a cloth painted with red cheeks or a mustache with holes for eyes, nose or mouth, or a cardboard mask with red cheeks.
3. Headdress: Put something original on your head, such as peasant hats, coastal hats, a montera, or any fine headdress you have on hand.
4. Clothing: Take advantage of those old clothes that you no longer use, such as that old suit of your grandfather, peasant clothes, fabrics and scarves of a thousand colors, or even a sheet.
5. Gloves: put on gloves to maintain the mystery of your identity.
If you represent a classic Carnival character, we ask you to join us on Saturday, February 3 to share an unforgettable experience touring the heart of our city.
We encourage you to use your imagination and avoid colored wigs or industrial costumes. The Traditional Carnival is about transforming the old into a fantasy, about being the opposite, about inverting roles, about playing to ask: “Do you know me, little mask?”
If you are parents and your sons or daughters have prepared buche or mascarita costumes following the tradition, we encourage you to join the party.
If you have any questions, at the end of the article I leave you a link to get inspired, and remember, you can always ask the elders.
Let's enjoy the carnival together and help preserve this unique cultural and heritage expression, so that the Port of Arrecife always has its Buches Carnival, full of little masks, dressed up, characters and sheets.
May the botarga fill every corner of this port with joy!
David Machado
Secretary of La Parranda Marinera de Buches.
Artist and curator.
Link with information on how they dressed up as mascaritas in Arrecife and get ideas for your traditional costume: https://memoriadelanzarote.com/buscar?s=mascarita