The origins of Carnival go back to the ancient Roman festival of Saturnalia, which was celebrated in December. This festival, which marked the end of the winter solstice, was characterised by feasting, drinking and revelry. When Christianity became the dominant religion in the Roman Empire, the festival was adapted to the Christian calendar as a period of excess before the fasting of Lent. The term carnival is derived from the Latin phrase “carnem levare”, which means “to remove meat”, as it was the last opportunity to indulge in meat before the Lenten period.

Carnival was introduced to Andalusia by the Moors, who ruled the region for more than 700 years, until the 15th century. The Moors celebrated a festival called Al-Andalus, which was a precursor to today’s carnival. Al-Andalus was a festival of music, dance and poetry that celebrated the arrival of spring. After the expulsion of the Moors from Andalusia, the Christian population of the region adapted the festival and made it their own.
The Andalusian carnival began to take on its modern form in the 19th century. The Cadiz carnival, in particular, became famous for its satirical songs, called chirigotas, which made fun of the authorities and social problems of the time. The Cadiz carnival also introduced the concept of street performances, which has become an integral part of the Andalusian carnival.