The Herencia Carnival, declared of regional and national Tourist Interest, begins this Friday, February 21, and will continue until Ash Wednesday, March 5. Everything is ready to reflect the «desire» that the town has to live its main celebration, in a year that will bring together 3,500 people on its big day, the Offering Day.
As explained in statements to Europa Press by its mayor, Sergio García Navas, the town, with about 8,500 inhabitants, increases its population «more than double» in these weeks.
It will start on February 21 with its carnival trilogy: the Friday of Prisillas, the Saturday of the Anxious, and the Sunday of the Desirous.
Historically, the carnival always began with the Sunday of the Desirous, but about 20 years ago a group of friends «who met in the bars with even greater desire for the carnival to arrive» started the Saturday of the Anxious, a day when they take the twelve ‘uvautreras’, «parodying the beginning of the new Herencia year.»
«We count the years of carnival in carnival, so until the early hours of the morning, accompanied by an orchestra, we will start the new Herencia year,» he said.
A great variety of activities, «some new and others traditional,» will take place over the days, in an event that «amazes everyone» because it maintains «its roots anchored to the ground.»
Characters such as the perlé, the jinetas, and traditional activities like the funerals of souls, the ‘puñao’, and the traditional Offering will parade through the town’s streets.
After this first weekend, the Drum Week will begin, «the most didactic part of the carnival,» and on February 28, the event will be officially inaugurated with actress Eva Isanta as the pregonera.
«RECORD OFFERING»
On Tuesday, March 4, the town will experience the Offering, which has had to close the registration period and «unfortunately» some groups and associations have been left out of the parade.
It will start at 3:00 p.m. in the parish church to head to the Town Hall, where the ‘puñao’ will be delivered, with 34 groups from 22 different towns belonging to four provinces.
«A record Offering» that will extend throughout the night until the awards ceremony at the Carnival Palace.
CULTURAL INTEREST
Although it has the recognition as a national tourist interest festival, Herencia is working with the regional government to declare it a cultural interest, with the protection of figures such as the jinetas, the perlé, the departure of the souls’ standard, the parades, the Offering, or ‘the puñao’, «everything that makes our Carnival characteristic,» said the mayor.
The file will be initiated «in a few days,» and the mayor is convinced that the Herencia Carnival will already have this declaration by 2026.
«We want to ensure that regardless of who governs the town halls later, this festival has the obligation to preserve our characteristic figures because that is what makes us different,» he said.
Although the declaration of International Tourist Interest is still far away, the town does not neglect it and is working on a hostel with 26 rooms, an aspect that will help it position itself with more attractions regarding this distinction.
FUENTE