Spanish parties and festivals
Spanish Festivals and Fiestas are a celebration of what it means to be Spanish to be part of and share a common National and Local History and Culture … so with that being said, let’s explore some of the many celebrations that take place throughout this country. colorful.
January
The year of celebrating Spanish fiestas and festivals begins in January with La Fiesta de la Reconquista (Conquest Festival) in Granada to celebrate the city’s recovery from the Moors in 1492 with a series of parades outside the historic town hall. On January 5 in most cities of Spain the procession of the Magi takes place to celebrate the arrival of the Magi on the afternoon before Epiphany, bringing gifts for the children. On January 17, the Day of San Antonio Abad is celebrated, patron saint of animals throughout the Peninsula, followed by the feast of San Fabián and San Sebastián on January 20 when the entire town of San Sebastián dresses up. On January 29th Fiesta de San Valero patron saint of the city of Zaragoza where locals and visitors share pieces of a giant Roscon (a sweet made from flour, sugar, milk, eggs).
February
Spanish festivals in February begin with the Carnival that is celebrated throughout Spain, the Madrid Carnival revived in 1976 after being banned by the Franco regime. It may not be one of the biggest but it’s still a lot of fun, I remember going with one of my many cousins to many of the celebrations, especially the one that ends on Ash Wednesday with the traditional Burial of the Sardine (sardine) Parade where All the participants are dressed in black and carry a cardboard sardine in a coffin to be buried in La Fuente de los Pajaritos, which symbolizes the beginning of Lent. If you are looking to be part of the Carnival celebrations, the most important ones take place in Barcelona, Cádiz, Jerez and Sitges. Throughout the month of February you can attend the Seville Tapas Fair, the city of Seville is dedicated to serving tapas lovers by providing a perfect opportunity for visitors to taste authentic Spanish cuisine. Towards the end of the month the Jerez Flamenco Festival is held, which begins on February 25 and ends on March 12. Here thousands of flamenco students gather every year to attend workshops and classes, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn from the masters. Even if you are not lucky enough to get a student invitation, if you love flamenco, it is worth making the trip to see some of the most famous dancers of our time perform at the Theater Villamarta.
March
Spain has parties and festivals throughout the month on March 15 we have Las Fallas in Valencia, a week of succession of parades and other activities that culminate on March 19, the Night of Fire, with the burning of giant papier-mâché figures to to pursue. drive away the demons of winter.
April
April has some of the most important celebrations, Holy Week or Semana Santa the week before Easter, which lasts 10 days and ends on the most impressive Resurrection Sunday (Easter Sunday) in Seville, Cordoba, Granada, Malaga, Cuenca, Jerez and Zamora. Seville’s April Fair takes place this year from April 3 to May 8, a colorful celebration that includes Horse Parades in which local girls dressed in flamenco dresses parade in beautiful carriages, flamenco shows, bullfighting and I jump through the streets. We cannot forget the Moors and Christians festivities that take place in various cities of the most famous Spanish coast is Alcoy, Alicante where the celebrations take place between April 22 and 24, reliving the battle between Moors and Christians that took place. in the area many centuries ago. At the end of the month on April 27 we have the celebration of the Virgin of Monserrat in Catalonia declared patron of Catalonia by Pope Leo XIII.
May
At the beginning of May the Cheese Fair takes place in Trujillo where you can taste cheeses not only from the area but from the world. In mid-May, the Spanish Festival La Feria del Caballo takes place in Jerez, an event visited by thousands that highlights the equestrian heritage of the city. The Fair also includes a large number of bullfighting and flamenco shows. During this month there is a discreet event that takes place in Córdoba called Concursos de los Patios or Concurso de Patios Populares that takes place during the second or sometimes the third week of May, the residents of the old town open their private family patios to visitors. Meanwhile, Madrid celebrates the San Isidro festival that marks the start of the bullfighting season, a week-long celebration with parades, music, dance food fairs and bullfights. At the end of May to the beginning of June, the Spanish Festival of the Rocío Pilgrimage takes place in the region of Andalusia, a pilgrimage either on foot or by car to the hermitage of the Virgen del Rocío (Virgen del Rocío) in Huelva.
June
At the beginning of June we find the Christian Festival of Corpus Christi, that is, the body of Christ, with some of the largest processions that take place in Barcelona, Valencia, Toledo, Malaga, Seville and Granada. We cannot forget the Sunday after Corpus Christi where an unusual celebration of the Spanish Festival takes place in Castrillo De Murcia, El Colacho, better known as the Baby Jumping Festival. Babies lie on mattresses and adult men dressed as demons jump on babies with the purpose of cleaning them of all bad deeds. In Huelva we have La Romeria del Rocio. The arrival of the summer solstice is celebrated with bonfires and fireworks in places such as the festival of Las Hogueras de San Juan in Alicante, a smaller version of the Fallas in Valencia, Las Noches de San Juan or the Noche de San Juan in Zaragoza. where bonfires are lit and fireworks are lit while families and friends gather in the streets to celebrate, and the Nights of San Juan or La Nit de Sant Joan in Barcelona, where thousands gather on the beach to light bonfires and celebrate. until sunrise. If you like to participate in a unique celebration, head to Haro, La Rioja, for the celebration of the Spanish Festival that takes place on June 29, when locals and tourists prepare for the battle of the wine of their lives. The fighting continues for several hours until around noon, when the crowd heads to the center of the city for a kind of mini-confinement.
July
As we know, the famous Spanish July festival takes place in Pamplona with the running of the bulls (Fiesta de San Fermín) that always begins on July 7 and lasts for a week. Córdoba hosts the Córdoba Guitar Festival or Córdoba Guitar Festival from July 6 to 25, an international event that has many guitar masters. The Fiesta del Carmen takes place along coastal towns such as Nerja and Fuengirola on July 16 to commemorate the Virgen del Carmen, patron saint of the sailor and fisherman. Towards the end of July 24 and 25, the Fiesta de Santiago or Fiesta de Santiago takes place in Santiago de Compostela, where the faithful gather to see the great Botafumeiro or large censer in the cathedral that represents the King’s Offering to the Apostle and see the Incredible fireworks show in the Plaza del Obradoiro. If you like jazz, you may consider attending the San Sebastián Jazz Festival or Jazzaldia at the end of July 21 to the 25 of the performances that take place every day in the Plaza de La Trinidad in the old town.
August
Spanish fiestas in August begin in Vitoria, the week-long celebration of the Fiesta de la Virgen Blanca, which begins on August 4 and runs through the 9th, culminating with a human-style puppet towering above the crowd in the Plaza de la Virgen Blanca. There is also La Fiesta de Agua that celebrates San Roque in the afternoon hoses, hydrants and buckets are brought for a great water fight. You can also attend the Strong Men Contest and taste a lot of Basque food during the celebration of the Aste Nagusia in Bilbao that lasts nine days from the 20th of the month. Let’s not forget the famous La Tomatina Festival in Buñol, Valencia, on August 31st, where you will have a tomato throwing fight with very few rules … don’t worry about getting ammo as the ripe fruit is brought by truckloads alone for the opportunity.
September
September Spanish festivals begin with La Fiesta de La Vendimia on the first Saturday of the month in Jerez which celebrates the Jerez grape harvest, including the ceremonial blessing and crushing of a basket of grapes. Meanwhile, the second Sunday of the month begins the Valencia Rice Festival with its international paella competition. Meanwhile, in Barcelona, the celebration of La Merce, its main annual festival, takes place with human towers some of up to 10 floors, fireworks, processions and dance shows. Then, on September 21, the San Sebastián Film Festival begins, an internationally renowned event.
October
October begins with a surfing competition on the Basque Coast, the ASP World Tour Billabong Pro. October 12 is Hispanidad Day, this day celebrations are held throughout the Peninsula in commemoration of the arrival of Christopher Columbus to the Nuevo Mundo in 1492. Also in October the celebration of the Virgen del Pilar that lasts for seven days, including the events that take place are bullfights, fireworks and concerts. Food lovers flock to the O Grove de Galicia Seafood Exaltation Festival to sample delicious Galician seafood. If you don’t like seafood, you can choose to attend the Saffron Rose Festival in Consuegra to celebrate the flower harvest.
November
The 1st of November is All Saints Day or All Saints Day which is celebrated everywhere with one of the biggest celebrations that takes place in Cádiz. In Cantabria the Orujo Festival takes place with lots of food and drink, the locals dress in their traditional costumes and there is music and dancing. Towards the end of the month and in anticipation of the Christmas holidays, the Christmas market is installed in the Plaza Mayor of Madrid, where more than 100 stalls are installed that sell from religious artifacts to strange costumes to celebrate the Day of the Innocents on the 28th of December. .
December
Christmas in Spain is great, on December 21 the Bonfires of Granada and Jaén take place where the assistants jump through the bonfires to protect themselves from diseases. The Christmas lottery draw takes place on December 22, a tradition that dates back to 1812. Christmas is a very family holiday in Spain that begins with Christmas Eve (New Night) on December 24, I remember those nights as if they were yesterday. The family (a large 25+) got together and celebrated by eating, drinking and being together. December 28 is Holy Innocents’ Day or the equivalent of April’s Fools. December ends with a great New Year’s Eve celebration and its tradition of eating the 12 grapes of good luck. As the New Year approaches, families gather in front of the television with their grapes and at 12 seconds to midnight the countdown begins, each time the clock in La Puerta del Sol in Madrid strikes a new second each Spanish eats a great for a total of 12 grapes, a tradition believed to bring you good luck in the New Year.