Carnival costume - the disfraces.

Vejer's 2014 Carnival celebrated the country life

An off-the-peg mask in a Conil shop

 Elaborate and ingenious costumes are central to Carnival the world over. A Spanish costume is called a 'disfraz', and while ordinary members of the public may buy their costume from a local shop or hastily improvise something at home, the performers, the chirigotas and comparsas and all those who dance or sing, have their costumes designed and made by professionals, many of whom specialise in this demanding work.

Carnival is celebrated all over the Roman Catholic world and represents an escape from the well-regulated life of routine and the sober face we usually try to present to the public. And though many countries have specialised in developing elaborate masks to disguise the revellers' identities, in Andalucía, it is also common to paint the face with make-up, a welcome concession to austerity and hard times.

The pilleus

Carnival evolved from the Roman feast of Saturnalia, which in turn grew out of the ancient Greek celebrations in honour of Dionysus, and so has a long and honourable history. The tradition spread from Italy in the early middle ages and merged with winter festivals in other regions of the Mediterranean.

The whole idea behind Saturnalia was to 'turn the world upside down'. Saturn was a farmer-god who took no account of social rank or position and during the festival, communities reverted to a 'golden age' where all were equal and there was enough for everyone.

Slaves pretended to disrespect their masters and everyone wore the 'pilleus', a hat normally reserved for the middle classes. Romans forgot their usual sobriety and wore colourful and elaborate evening clothes right through the day.

Many of these ideas have survived in the tradition of Carnival, and have developed independently in the different regions. In the province of Cadiz, Carnival is salty, outrageous and highly satirical, and costumes often reflect this tone.

Every town in the region, however small has its carnival groups. In Vejer, there are eight, and each group will have a new set of disfrazes every year, according to the topic of their act. This creates a lot of work for local dressmakers, most of whom have specialist training in the techniques particular to carnival.

Even so, some of the demands made by the performers will stretch their ingenuity to the limits. Dolores Moreno, who has been making carnival attire for thirty years, admits to sore eyes and sore fingers throughout January and February every year as she struggles with slippery satin and sews on hundreds of buttons. Her skills include shoe and glove-making, virtuoso sequin-application and the ability to create a set of identical costumes in a range of sizes and shapes, as well as to visualise and create wearable costumes out a few sketches and a verbal description.

Dolores spent four years training in cutting, sewing and design before she considered herself competent to take on the twin challenge of Carnival disfraces and Feria dresses, but one group of Vejeriegas has to perform the same miracle with no training at all. Because every school child has to take part in a carnival parade, every mother, regardless of ability, must create a suitable costume according to the fabric and pattern sent home from school. Of all the challenges of Carnival, this one is surely the most demanding.

Some disfrazes are complex, some are simple, but carnival isn't something you can easily avoid!