Most festivals
in Spain are religious in origin, but nowadays the religious component
is usually secondary to the general spirit of celebration. Spain has dozens
of festivals and most towns have their own in addition to the national
ones.
Listed below
are several of the more important festivals:
January
Reyes Magos,
known as the Epiphany in English, is celebrated throughout Spain on January
6. Gifts are distributed and the evening of January 5 is a time of tremendous
excitement for children. Floats, bands and dancers take to the streets
of the major towns and cities.
Fiestas de
San Antonio Abad is celebrated in Mallorca on January 17 with bonfires.
Traditionally youths compete over a cockrell placed at the top of a greased
pole, the 'Pi de Sant Antoni'.
February
A carnival
is held in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands, during the second week
of February with fancy-dress parades and musicians. Carnivals are held
throughout Spain at Shrovetide before Lent.
Pero Palo
celebrations are held in Caceres, Extremadura late in February. The community
gathers to share old traditions and legends.
March
Fallas de
San Jose is held in Valencia just before spring. Bonfires are built and
there's an interesting night-time parade.
Semana Santa
or Easter Holy Week is one of the most important festivals in Spain. Processions
and concerts are held throughout the country. Seville's Semana Santa is
one of Spain's most enjoyable festivals.
April
An April Fair
is held in Seville.
Fiesta de
Moros y Cristianos, also known as the Moors and Christians, is celebrated
across Spain. Alcoy in Alicante puts on an interesting display with battles,
processions, speeches, plays and dances. Groups of Moors and Christians
drive through the town accompanied by noisy bands. A battle ensues accompanied
by fireworks and the ringing of bells.
Barcelona
is the venue of a spectacular festival in late April. The festival honors
St. Jordi, who is the patron saint of Catalonia.
May
Crosses of
flowers are set up throughout the village of Cieza, in Murcia, on Dia de
la Cruz or Holy Cross day.
A procession
to celebrate Corpus Christi is held in Toledo.
June
The pagan
festival of Hogueras de San Juan is held in Alicante. The streets are often
decorated with branches and leaves, straw effigies are burnt, pilgrimages
are undertaken, the herb thyme is blessed and sanjuanera songs are sung.
July
The immensely
exciting Fiesta de San Fermin, or the Running of the Bulls, is held in
Pamplona early in July.
August
On the north
coast, Semana Grande is held during August.
September
For three
days during the Festival Internacional de Folklore en el Mediterraneo (International
Festival of Mediterranean Folklore) you can experience the songs, traditions,
dances, dresses and general folklore of many Mediterranean cultures.
Fiestas de
la Vendimia Riojana, also known as the La Rioja Wine Festival, centres
around the harvesting of the grapes.
Barcelona's
festival of La Merce, patron saint of the city, takes place around September
24.
October
The feast
of El Pilar is held in Zaragoza, Aragon |