The Carnival celebrations in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, one of the biggest in the world, include parades, dancing, music and fireworks, and come to a climax when an enormous sardine sitting on a throne is carried through the streets on a float, followed by an entourage in tears amid general hysteria.

I mention this only because a Spanish court has just cancelled this celebration on grounds that it is too noisy.

Well, yes, it probably would be, now that you mention it. The court awarded an injunction halting the celebrations after a group of citizens complained that the festivities violated their human rights. Guess who probably won’t be voted “King of Carnival” anytime soon? Here’s the story:

In noisier times: dancers from the group Tropicana perform in Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands during carnival celebrations in a 2004 photo. REUTERS/Juan Medina REUTERS