Spain's Strangest Festivals

[Damian Corrigan]

I was wondering if some of you could help me. I'm trying to compile a list of Spain's most bizarre festivals. So far I have:

rat flinging (thanks to this forum), fountains filled with wine, goats flung from castles, tomato fights, water fights, wine fights, the welcoming back of prostitutes after Lent, devils jumping over babies, snail festivals, drum festivals, New Year's Eve in August, grim reaper taunting, human castle building, stilt dancing, scatalogical imagery at Christmas in Catalonia and jumping over bonfires to stay healthy, but I'm sure I'm just scratching the surface there.

Anyone have any other festivals they could add to that list?

Thanks.

Damian

[ValenciaSon]

How about La Batalla de las Flores?

[Damian Corrigan]

Look, you can't just add "batalla de" to everything and call it a fest-- ah, I see you're right, it does exist. ;D

Reminds me of a Lou Reed song:

"Vicious, you hit me with a flower"

Thanks! Any more?!

Damian

[greytop]

There's all the ones involving bulls running in the streets or into the sea. Not sure the Spanish think they are strange mind you!

[Edith]

How about La Batalla de las Flores?

For a moment I thought you were referring to las guerras florídas, but that's another subject altogether! ;D Las guerras florídas were special wars waged by the Aztecs to obtain prisoners who could be used for human sacrifice later on.

[ValenciaSon]

For a moment I thought you were referring to las guerras florídas, but that's another subect altogether! ;D Las guerras florídas were special wars waged by the Aztecs to obtain prisoners who could be used for human sacrifice later on.
Boy Edith, you are a party animal!:rolleyes:

[Edith]

Boy Edith, you are a party animal!:rolleyes:

;D

Let's forget about the flowers - how about a Tomatina?


http://www.bunyol.es/fotos/tomatito.gif

[landlady]

Like this one???? (http://www.netdisaster.com/go.php?mode=tomato&url=http%3A//www.notesfromspain.com/forums/showthread.php%3Fp%3D16871%23post16871)

;D;D;D

[omeyas]

Sorry, finger trouble, uploaded twice!:blush:

[omeyas]

;D

Let's forget about the flowers - how about a Tomatina?


http://www.bunyol.es/fotos/tomatito.gif

Edith, he mentioned "tomato fights", so I didn't bother with La Tomatina! :p

[Ben]

There's one where they place babies on mattresses and jump over them, but can't remember where or when...

[greytop]

For a moment I thought you were referring to las guerras florídas, but that's another subect altogether! ;D Las guerras florídas were special wars waged by the Aztecs to obtain prisoners who could be used for human sacrifice later on.Now practised by middle eastern terrorists. Nothing new under the sun eh?

[Edith]

Now practised by middle eastern terrorists. Nothing new under the sun eh?

Alas, true! They should have more fiestas instead!

[Edith]

Like this one???? (http://www.netdisaster.com/go.php?mode=tomato&url=http%3A//www.notesfromspain.com/forums/showthread.php%3Fp%3D16871%23post16871)

;D;D;D



Wow Landlady, did you make that yourself?

[Damian Corrigan]

There's one where they place babies on mattresses and jump over them, but can't remember where or when...

Yeah, I said "devils jumping over babies". One step ahead o' ya!

[omeyas]

Wow Landlady, did you make that yourself?

http://www.netdisaster.com/

[djS]

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.

San Juan takes place between June 20th till 24th and is a huge party full of bonfires, fireworks, music and dancing.
Six months after Christmas the arrival of the summer solstice is celebrated during the shortest night of the year. The celebrations of San Juan are of pagan origin and consist to a greater degree of inherited rituals, practices and customs originating in pre-Christian celebrations. The night of San Juan, 23 of June, is the shortest of the year in the northern hemisphere and basically means the triumph of light over dark. The basic characteristics of these rituals are fire, water and the sun. Legend has it that the bonfires that burn on this night can cure diseases of the skin, cleansing the body and soul. One can even change a bad year into a good one simply by jumping over the bonfire a minimum of three times.
San Juan is celebrated in almost all of Spain, but in some parts it takes on a special meaning. In Ciutadella (Menorca) people visit from all over Spain (including many television crews) to witness the celebrations. People take to the streets and party non-stop for 3 to 4 days drinking pomada, an explosive mix of Mahon gin and lemonade, and slapping the back sides of the large black horses with riders that dance in the crowded streets and dart in and out of local doorways. As the evenings progress you will also witness large scale battles of people enthusiastically throwing sackfuls of hazelnuts at each other which is meant to be a sign of love. It has to be seen to be believed.

Been two if few times , what a party ...Jurdy

[Edith]

http://www.netdisaster.com/

Hilarious! Thanks Frank! ;D

[Culebronchris]

Betera where they have the fiework fight on 15 August is pretty barmy - bull running with fireworks. There is something similar, but less destructive, in Elche on the Nit d'Alba

There are stacks of burying sardine festivals in Alicante

Ibi on 28 Dec as mentioned in another thread by me is also pretty strange - takoever of the town - flour and firework fights, spiked German helmets.

Wine festival in Jumilla. Lots of wine on the streets. Young men and young women playing wet t shirt competitions with wine, swimming in the streets - this may be your wine fountain.

Caravaca de la Cruz and the Wine horses. May sometime. Driving galloping horses between crowds so squashed together that I was unable to reach my zippo to light a fag. The horses get through though.

A pal who lives in Burgos sent an email maybe a week ago, probably in the tail end of January where he said that some Saints day was being celebrated by men trying to behead a chicken hung upside down.

And to follow on from Omeyas's post about San Juan I seem to remember that virgins have to jump over nine consecutive waves in Santa Pola to bring them children or some such. A pal in Santa Pola tells me the beach has been eerily quiet the last couple of years!

[Damian Corrigan]

Thanks. Very helpful.

I'm struggling to find much of help about the burying the sardine. can someone explain it to me properly? Spanish Wikipedia says its inspired by Mascaradas of Madrid, but I can't find much about that either.

Links in Spanish or English are fine. No Spanglish, please :o)

Damian

[djS]

ya hear off that in Elche but was alwas in Santa pola Sailling on the hight seas where i live over there
jurdy

[Culebronchris]

I'd ask the tourist people they're extremely good http://www.comunitatvalenciana.com/

[Tali]

Don't know if you can call it a "strange" festival but the Fiesta de los Cerezos in the Valle del Jerte in Extremadura must be am amazing sight!

And I have heard that the Feria in Tarifa, Cádiz has a procession of 500 horses through the main street - which is impressive as Tarifa is a tiny town and has even tinier streets of the cobbled variety.

[Paco]

Start 6-14 of July. If you go you should dress in white with a red neck scarf.
EL encierro is the really important event, and I was told is like a Macho thing to do for the young guys before becoming a man, ( I saw some ladies in there) El encierro, they close a road with several fences, you jump in there from two point allowed Las Puertas del Mercado y el consitorial. wait for the bulls, and run as much as you can when they show up. The bulls are huge animals 600kg more or less. They have festivities all day and night the whole week. Everybody is in a great mood. (the Champange and the wine helps) there is other things going on at the same time, so you pick and choose. Different things like La escalera, La panolada ( at the end of the week) are for everybody. Now be careful if you have children En la Calzoncillada, they run for a price but they run naked. But this happens at 2:00 am or so I dont really remember. Well this July you know where you have to go, see you there. Next years. Paco:o

[Edith]

'Monday is the "dirty" and "wild" day of Laza's Carnival. The farrapada (ragging) in the main plaza begins with one muddy rag thrown at an unsuspecting victim and quickly escalates into an all-out mud war lasting more than two hours. In the meantime a few young men go into the countryside to dig up anthills and collect the ant-filled dirt, which they shovel into sacks and carry back to town. They douse the ants with vinegar to wake them up and then run into the plaza flinging dirt and ants into the air, into peoples' faces, or right down their backs and into their clothes.'

More:

http://www.carnavalexhibit.org/laza.php




Ouch! I've got ants in my pants!

[djS]

Was watch something the same on TV Canaria Satelite (http://www.tvcanaria.tv/) on Monday last around 6 pm CET but would be watching www.telemadrid.es

try to get my spanish up to speed
jurdy

[José Miguel]

Stone lifting, stone dragging by oxen and the milk-can carriers competition !

[Damian Corrigan]

Stone lifting, stone dragging by oxen and the milk-can carriers competition !

Where, when?

Damian

[José Miguel]

Where, when?

Damian

Don't know neither locations nor dates. Check basque rural sports in Wikipedia.

[greytop]

Link to today's Las Provincias (http://www.lasprovincias.es/valencia/prensa/20070224/marina/miles-vecinos-citan-fiesta_20070224.html) with details of tonight when la peñata o entierro de la sardina is celebrated. Quite eerie as the procession and much of the audience are totally clad in black.
Summary of the article:
Friends meet up in their usual bars and congregate from 2300 in the square of the ayuntiamento.
At midnight they set off round the town in procession finishing up in the Pla de la Font around 0100. They carry coffins decorated with sardines and flowers. Then all hell breaks loose as they throw these onto the bonfire and have a big fireworks display.
See this site (http://www.bnv.bib.ve/entierrosardina.htm) (in Spanish) for more about this strange festival.

As it says in the paper, last week we had the carnival and the town was full to bursting with something like twice the normal population on the streets (many in costume) - an estimated 25,000, open air discos and street bars. Not much sleep even if you did not take an active part;D Many people go away for the weekend to escape. Some vandalism, mainly buildings defaced with graffiti or tags and one big litter problem left behind on Sunday. One serious traffic accident with one dead when a car hit a coach, followed by two more cars that hit the accident.
The last revellers I saw were around still at lunchtime Sunday.

The paper is also full of preparations for the Valencia Fallas (http://www.lasprovincias.es/valencia/prensa/20070224/valencia/sueca-preve-encender-iluminacion_20070224.html). Some huge light displays being built - with some opposition from the neighbours as they provide an easy entry for burglars to apartments. Also complaints about the effect over a long period on life amongst the falleros who have continuous parties and block many streets for several weeks. The ever increasing size of the lights and fallas is also becoming a problem as each brotherhood tries to outdo the rest. Imagine a 30 metre bonfire in front of your house or block of flats, sometimes only 10 metres or so away!

[TotallyKen]

Loving the Basque country as you do, what about the Fiesta de los Gansos (Goose Festival) held in Lekeiteo in September. Until quite recently a live goose was used in this festival which dates back over 350 years.

A goose is strung up by its neck on a rope that stretches from one side of the harbour to the other. Contestants then jump from a boat in the harbour and attemt to grab the goose and hang on as long as they can or until the goose is decapitated. Quite awful really.


Ken
(http://www.totallyspain.com)

[Paco]

Tell me something the goose is alive when this is happening? where in Spain? Please let me know.. Vulcan

[TotallyKen]

Tell me something the goose is alive when this is happening? where in Spain? Please let me know.. Vulcan

The festival takes place in Lekeiteo in Vizcaya, Basque Country. Like I said they used to use a live goose but now I believe it´s dead before they string it up.

See more photos here http://travel.webshots.com/album/97332521qTmsUb?start=24

[Damian Corrigan]

Thanks for all your help on this one guys. I've now written my page on the subject and you guys get an acknowledgement at the end!

http://gospain.about.com/od/spanishfestivals/qt/weird_bizarre.htm

[greytop]

Well done Damian
http://smileys.sur-la-toile.com/repository/Grands_Smileys/3d-bravo.gif

[imc]

Qué tal estas:

Los empalaos: http://www.pglocal.com/valverde/empalaos.htm

La romería de Santa Marta de Ribarteme: http://www.lavozdegalicia.es/albumes/maqueta_galeria.jsp?ALBUM=2006730125739

Las móndidas y el paso del fuego en San Pedro Manrique (Soria): http://www.clubrural.com/fiestas/provincia-42/Soria/localidad-26192/San-Pedro-Manrique/evento-16725/.html

Los "Picaos" de San Vicente de la Sonsierra: http://www.sanvicentedelasonsierra.org/Los_Picaos.1392.0.html

A rapa das bestas: http://www.revistaiberica.com/fiestas/julio/rapa.htm

Los escobazos y la encamisá: http://www.revistaiberica.com/Rutas_y_destinos/extr/escobazos.htm

La caballada de Atienza: http://www.villadeatienza.com/la_caballada.htm

Danza de los zancos: http://www.geocities.com/urunuela17/zancos/zancos.htm

[ChorizoYvino]

In Ourense, Spain, I have heard from my wife's prima who lives in Ourense, there is a festival where they have a dead sardine in a funeral procession where they mourn the death of the sardine.

Another I have heard of is in Celanova, Galicia, Spain where the lights in the pueblo are all turned off and people march around the town with candles and no power in the town. I think it is in August.

Fun place...

[Ben]

I heard of an interesting one yesterday, from Salamanca, where the first Monday after Easter is called Lunes de Aguas.

The story goes that during Easter in the sixteenth century all the prostitutes were forced to leave the city to avoid the men falling into temptation, crossing to the other side of the river where "El Padre Putas", was left in charge of them. On the first Monday after Easter, the Lunes de Aguas, they were allowed back into the city, crossing the river in boats, to much rejoicing of the city's young men. The date is still celebrated with a fiesta in the city today.

More in Spanish wikipedia (http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunes_de_aguas)

[Salam]

I heard of an interesting one yesterday, from Salamanca, where the first Monday after Easter is called Lunes de Aguas.

The story goes that during Easter in the sixteenth century all the prostitutes were forced to leave the city to avoid the men falling into temptation, crossing to the other side of the river where "El Padre Putas", was left in charge of them. On the first Monday after Easter, the Lunes de Aguas, they were allowed back into the city, crossing the river in boats, to much rejoicing of the city's young men. The date is still celebrated with a fiesta in the city today.

More in Spanish wikipedia (http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunes_de_aguas)
Que interesante!

[Tormento]

The paper is also full of preparations for the Valencia Fallas (http://www.lasprovincias.es/valencia/prensa/20070224/valencia/sueca-preve-encender-iluminacion_20070224.html). Some huge light displays being built - with some opposition from the neighbours as they provide an easy entry for burglars to apartments. Also complaints about the effect over a long period on life amongst the falleros who have continuous parties and block many streets for several weeks. The ever increasing size of the lights and fallas is also becoming a problem as each brotherhood tries to outdo the rest. Imagine a 30 metre bonfire in front of your house or block of flats, sometimes only 10 metres or so away!

But it is sooooooo much fun. And well worth the trouble ;D. Being Valencian born and raised, I cannot help but getting all giddy by just smelling "pólvora". I do have some friends, however, also born and raised in Valencia, that take off during Fallas week because they can't stand it. I think it's a matter of personal taste.

But I'll go to Fallas any day!

[lenox]

The Día de la Vieja Remolona in S.E. Almería
Apparently, 'una remolona' is a sour and disagreeable person.
The día de la vieja is celebrated sometime in March and consists of a jolly 'romería' - a picnic in the campo - together with a sort of a 'guy' - a kind of piñata filled with sweets and dressed up like the old granny.
Afrer a pleasant day smelling the wild flowers and wolfing the tortilla and empanadas, the children are let loose to beat the paper granny to death and find the sweeties within.

[Edith]

a kind of piñata filled with sweets and dressed up like the old granny.

Do they have piñatas in Spain, too? I have always wondered about the origins of this tradition.