February is the month of Carnaval in Málaga. Throughout the month and even well into the month of March, the province worships Don Carnal with parades, gastronomic parties, group competitions, and parties. Lots and lots of parties.
Murgas and comparsas
There are several competitions of Carnaval groups that exist in the province. Without a doubt, the most recognized is that of Málaga Capital, which brings together dozens of groups in the Cervantes Theater that compete each year for the coveted prize. In Malaga, the groups are divided into murgas, of a more irreverent and informal character, and comparsas, with a greater number of members and dealing with more serious themes. Local politics and the daily problems of ordinary people are the topics treated by these groups that work all year to offer great musical compositions. Other competitions of groups of great interest in the province are those of Torremolinos, Arroyo de la Miel or Alhaurín el Grande.
King Momo and the Nymphs of Nerja
Carnaval in Nerja, which this year will be from February 20 to 23, is four days of celebration full of laughter and color, in which people flaunt a great imagination, making their costumes and composing the fun chirigotas that they will later put to the test, in a contest. The election of the “King Momo” and the “Nymphs of the Carnival“, both in the children and youth modalities, is one of the most important moments of this Carnival party in Malaga.
Children’s carnivals
In Malaga, the children’s carnival will take place on the weekend of February 22 and 23, with children’s parades, election of Gods and Goddesses of Carnaval. Between February 24 and 28, the afternoons will be dedicated to the little ones with activities and workshops in the historic center of the city, while the nights will be filled with couplets on the stage of the Plaza de la Constitución.
Humilladero Carnival
Carnival Sunday Humilladero recovers an ancestral tradition known as the Chuchete de los Botijos; Disguised people gather around noon in the town square making corrosions and throwing a botijo between them. Anyone who fails to catch the botijo and drops it, will be ejected from the ring, the last person standing wins the game. Horseback riding and costume contests join this ancestral tradition of the Carnivals in Malaga province
Dust Festival
In Sierra de las Nieves, we recommend two appointments with the most unique carnivals in Malaga. The first one is the Alozaina Flour Carnival, which this year will be held from February 21 to 23, a fun war between all the neighbors with flour as the only ammunition to “attack” the enemy. After the “flour” of Alozaina, Tolox celebrates a dust party. In this case the battle is fought with talcum powder, recalling the old custom in which the young men fulfilled a peculiar ritual to declare their loved ones.
