Carnival vocabulary, the most complete guide in Spanish. Shall we continue with the carnival? In the previous article we were talking about what the carnival is like in Spain. We explain its origin, traditions and the most famous places to enjoy it. In today's article we are going to offer you the most complete guide.
Shall we continue with the carnival?
In the previous article we were talking about how is he carnival in Spain.
We explain your origin, the traditions and the most famous places to enjoy it.
In today's article we are going to offer you the most complete guide to carnival vocabulary in Spanish.
The lexicon that you are going to learn will be the following:
Furthermore, we are going to put you infographics as carnival vocabulary cards with images that will help you understand the lexicon better.
Are you interested? Well, let's go!
Put on your best costume while we learn carnival vocabulary. 🎭
Clothing and accessories colorful They are fundamental elements of this festival.
Do you live in Spain or have you come here for vacation?
We show you the carnival clothing vocabulary so you know how to say each thing and can buy the item you want.
We start the carnival vocabulary with the masks.
Masks were used during carnival in the Middle Ages to cover your face and not be recognized.
We all know the beautiful venetian masks, right?
Thanks to them, Venetians could enjoy the carnival to the fullest and get out of control without being judged by their acquaintances.
For this reason, the carnival masksThey have always been a symbol of this festival and an almost indispensable element.
Although it is true that many people find it annoying to have their faces covered throughout the carnival.
If you are one of those people, you may like the following plugin that we show you more.
The mask differs from the mask in that the veil only covers the part that surrounds the eyes.
For example, Robin, Batman's sidekick, wears a mask.
The masks carnival They can be a great option for the hottest people.
In addition, there are very beautiful ones, with many decorations and colored feathers that combine very well with the joy that these holidays give off.
The carnival makeup It should be colorful and cheerful.
Do you know the vocabulary about makeup in Spanish?
The first thing that is usually put is a makeup base white and then apply the colors with the brushes.
Don't forget to put shadows on certain parts of the face to give your face a more artistic touch.
To highlight your eyes you can also use a concealer and apply false eyelashes. Eyebrows can also be made more uniform with a eyebrow pencil
And finally, give your lips a lot of color with a lipstick
What are the typical carnival colors?
Green, red, purple... really any color works as long as it is vibrant and eye-catching.
The masks They are also a classic at carnivals.
What is the difference between face shields and masks?
In reality, the two objects are used to cover the face.
Although it is true that masks are usually associated with specific characters or beings, while a mask is simply a face that does not imitate anyone.
For example, your carnival mask can be Spiderman, a monster, a horror movie villain or any famous person who is fashionable.
The carnival wigs They are a great option for those who do not want to elaborate their carnival clothing too much.
A wig is a false hair which is placed on the head.
There are very funny wigs that make a person almost unrecognizable.
Even the most serious person can look super funny with the right wig.
The false mustache It can go very well for some costumes: a 19th century cowboy, a Mexican mariachi, a gourmet chef, Freddie Mercury...
Furthermore, you can also make you look older. We don't know why anyone would want to do that, but hey, anything goes at carnival. 😂
Another object that we can put on our heads is a carnival hat
It can be a little hat with prints, colors, polka dots, decorated with feathers...
There are many types and all colors. Choose the one you like the most and combine it with the others clothing items to go like a brush. 👌
The carnival whistleIt is not a clothing accessory as such, but rather an object to liven up the party.
Also known as a whistle or "kazoo", the whistle is a small wind instrument which produces a high-pitched sound when we blow on it.
The sound of carnival whistles always goes well to accompany the music of this party and brighten the atmosphere. 🙌
If you are going to dress up as a clown, the clown nose It is a complement that cannot be missing.
That red ball that is placed on the nose is such a symbolic element that you will only need a little makeup and colorful clothing to have your clown costume ready.
Do you want to dress up as an ancient Greek philosopher or an ancient master of Chinese martial arts?
In that case you will need a long false beard.
If you are a man, you can also grow your beard for months to make your costume look more authentic. 😁
We finish with the beard the carnival vocabulary and its clothing.
Now let's get to the decorations and events.
¿How the streets are decorated at Carnival?
What are the main events?
Don't let go of the screen as we continue to expand the vocabulary of carnival in Spanish.
Floats are those large mobile vehicles with people on them that go through the main streets on important festivals.
In the towns where the most spectacular festivals are held, such as Tenerife or Gran Canaria, you can findoriginal carnival floats with great detail.
In other places where the parties are less present, you will find simple carnival floats.
Simple or sophisticated, a colorful carnival float with people in costumes and lots of music, is undoubtedly one of the typical carnival things that cannot go wrong.
Have you ever seen the image of women dressed in extravagant clothing that look like something out of a Disney story?
They are the calls Carnival Queens.
In many places in the world where the carnival party is popular, this Carnival Queen is chosen as a representative.
This woman is the carnival ambassador throughout the duration of the party.
Did you know that there is also a children's Carnival Queen?
In Spain, there are several cities in which galas to choose from to the Carnival Queen. The most famous of all is Tenerife, in the Canary Islands.
This celebration would not be the same without the carnival parades.
In the parades, people walk through the streets accompanied by floats, dancing, singing and playing musical instruments.
We could say that they are the life of the party and all the people move around them.
Within the parades we can find the carnival troupes.
They are groups of people who go out to parade at a party and They are all dressed the same. Some play musical instruments or dance.
Joining a troupe can be a very lively way to live the carnival. Plus, you will make new friends.
Who said it's difficult to make friends in another country? With the troupes it is inevitable.
Surely there is a carnival troupe near your neighborhood. Do a little research and you will find. 😉
The murgas They are also known as chirigotas. They are bands that parade through the streets cheering up the carnival with musical instruments.
Their songs review current political events and the events that have taken place during the year, always with great irony and sense of humor.
The most famous in Spain are the murgas of Cádiz and the Canary Islands murgas, especially the murgas of Tenerife.
In these cities they are so famous that they even usually do some costume contest to select the winner.
One of the most famous murgas competitions takes place in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
The competition closes as expected costumed ending.
Do you know that the Canaries are fans of this competition?
In this year 2023, within 20 minutes of opening ticket sales to the venue, they were already sold out. The event took place last February 3.
Although if next year you want to experience an unforgettable carnival night, you can reserve your ticket for the next Murgas Final.
If the canaries like it so much, there must be a reason, right?
On the same stage where this competition is held, it is also where the other big event takes place, the Carnival Queens Gala.
We are not leaving Tenerife yet. Not without first mentioning the rondallas of carnival
The rondallas are a musical genre typical of the Tenerife carnival.
The rondallas artists perform classic songs by prestigious composers.
The carnival musical instruments most used in the rondallas are pulse and spike, like the bandurria, the guitar or the lute.
If you want to listen to beautiful carnival songs in Spain, listen to Tenerife's rondallas.
As you can see, in the capital of the Canary Islands this festival is experienced very strongly. It is probably the city where it is celebrated the most.
one serpentine is a strip colored paper rolled on itself that is inside a tube.
When this tube opens, the strip shoots out, unwinding itself.
The serpentine at carnival It is used a lot because of the beautiful visual effect it produces, especially in the most important moments.
The carnival confetti It is another decorative object that cannot be missing. The confetti are small pieces of paper with different colors that people throw at parties.
You know, everything that is colorful is welcome at carnival.
In our article on carnival parties in Spain We already talked about this curious tradition.
¿What is the Burial of the Sardine??
This is one of the most widespread carnival celebrations in our country. Almost all carnivals in different locations end like this.
It is a “funeral” walk in which a huge toy sardine It is taken to a bonfire and burned there.
Why is this done? It's a way to get rid of everything bad from the year and start spring on the right foot.
This is always done the day before Ash Wednesday, the Carnival Tuesday, which is the last day of these holidays.
Shall we continue? Now that you know a lot of new words about this festival, it's time to see the essence of carnivals: the carnival costume vocabulary.
We are going to review the most chosen costumes for these festivities.
Which one will you choose?
If it is about colorful costumes, a perfect carnival costume is that of clown.
We have already mentioned some of the objects needed for this costume, do you remember them? Wig, makeup, clown nose…
What cannot be missing if you are a clown is a positive attitude and a great desire to be sarcastic.
Are you studying for the police exams? You can be it before time at carnival.
with him police costume You will feel like a real law enforcement officer.
It can also be a group carnival costume very fun. Can you imagine you and all your friends dressed as police officers at a party?
You will surely command respect from the other guests. 😎
The princess carnival costumes They are especially popular for girls and boys who love these stories.
Who hasn't ever dreamed of being the little princess in a fairy tale? Like in the Disney movies that you like so much.
If you want to give your children the privilege of feeling that way, carnival is the perfect time!
A super fun costume that never fails is that of animals.
It always causes a lot of laughter to see someone dressed as a cow, a lion or a dinosaur, don't you think?
If you want to be the center of attention and make others laugh, a funny animal costume may be the best option.
For fans of the Medieval Ages, there is also medieval costumes that will make you feel like a true gentleman of the time.
There are some who wear armor and everything. If you work on your medieval attire, it can be one of the carnival costumes top at the party.
With the rise of superhero movies in which female protagonists increasingly have more prominence, it is not surprising that superhero costumes They are one of the favorite carnival costumes in Spain.
Captain Marvel, Black Widow, Wonder Woman…are some of the superhero character costumes that you can find in stores.
The superhero costume male is also one of the favorites.
Who do you like more? Spiderman, Batman, Superman, Doctor Strange… Adjust your tights, put on your mask, unfold your cape and let's dance!
Superhero carnival costumes always attract attention because people know these characters and many of their movies are blockbusters.
You are sure to be the life of the party!
It is also a good carnival costume for children.
Although this is perhaps more common in halloween, like the ghost or vampire costume, go as a witch It is also a fairly common carnival costume.
You can be a cool witch, with happy and colorful clothes.
Not all witches have to be dark. 🧙🏻 ♀
We have reached the final part of this article on the Spanish carnival vocabulary.
Let's look at some typical verbs in Spanish that we can use at carnival parties.
We have talked about costumes, but what verb do we use to express that we put on clothes?
The most common is "dress", this one is about clothing in general.
When we want to talk about a costume, we need to add the preposition "of" to the infinitive: dress up.
The noun "disguise" also has its own verb: dress up as.
As before, we put the preposition "de" after the verb:
When we go to a party with more people, we can use the verb «attend.”
This verb is not only used with parties. It can also be used for meetings, conferences, weddings, fairs and all types of large events.
We can also use the verb "participate in" to confirm our presence at the party.
In addition, it can be used to express that you are part of the organization or an activity of said party.
We use the verb carry to express that we transport something or someone in our hands or in a vehicle.
It is also used to talk about clothes or some accessory that we are wearing.
This has been the last of the verbs.
To finish, we are going to do some activities to work on the carnival vocabulary that we have seen.
We propose two activities to learn ele carnival vocabulary (Spanish as a foreign language).
In this exercise you have a memory With carnival tokens, match each image with its corresponding word.
In this other carnival activity you have to write the verbs corresponding to each sentence.
⚠️ Be careful because each prayer is at a different time.
Take a good look at the temporary markers to know in what tense you should conjugate each verb.
How have the exercises gone? Surely good.
We hope that this article about the Spanish carnival vocabulary you liked it
If you want to know more about this and other festivals, in Hispania, Spanish school We talk a lot about Spanish culture and we do debates in which students give their opinions.
This is a fantastic way to learn a language. In our face-to-face Spanish courses or online Spanish courses You will participate in many debates.
Do you already know what you are going to dress up as at the next carnival?
What accessories are you going to bring?
You already tell us in the comments.
See you soon! 🙌
Article written by Carlos Martinez for Hispania, Spanish school.
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