Carnaval is the traditional period of fun, feasting and partying that precedes the start of Lent (Cuaresma). The most important day is probably Shrove Tuesday (Martes de Carnaval), but throughout Carnaval there are fancy-dress parties, parades and firework displays. In some places in Spain, the changeover from Carnaval to Lent on Ash Wednesday is marked by the Entierro de la Sardina. This is a grotesque funeral parade in which the symbolic cardboard figure of a sardine is marched through the streets and finally ceremonially burnt or buried.