The Carnival of Cádiz is one of the best-known carnivals in the world.
Cadiz is famous for the sense of humour of its citizens and Carnival is a festival in which authority, politicians, celebrities and the church are parodied and ridiculed. The central figures here are the choirs (los coros), groups of between three and forty singers. Current events or personalities are mocked in comic song. The Falla´s Contest is a Music festival held in the Gran Teatro Falla before Carnival itself and, to a certain extent, it is a relatively serious competition.
The most popular type of group is the “chirigotas”, choirs normally of ten unison or close-harmony singers, accompanied by bombo, caja (drum, box – used as a percussion instrument), and guitar. Their repertoire is the most satirical of the different types of groups and the literary quality of the songs can be very high, as they may be written by local authors. Only a few musical forms such as the tango or pasodoble are used, so that everyone knows the tune and can concentrate on the words.
