Gay Carnival events continue apace with the night of “La Mantillas” taking place this Tuesday. A special dinner takes place first in Restaurante Alma and then on to Comodin for their usual gala spectacular.
For those of you who want to know, the lightweight ornamental mantilla came into use in the warmer regions of Spain towards the end of the sixteenth century, and ones made of lace caught the fancy of some elegant ladies in the following century, as seen in some portraits by Velázquez. However, the ladies of the court and the upper echelons of society did not take to it until the eighteenth century. In the nineteenth century, Queen Isabel II (1833-1868) actively encouraged its use. The practice diminished after her death, and by 1900 the use of the mantilla became largely limited to special ceremonies, such as bullfights, Holy Week and weddings…. and by Drag Queens out to impress at Carnival!
See you tonight!
