Spanish Fiestas & Folklore at Santiago and Burgos

Spain celebrates many festivals due to the myriad of traditions and folklore it embraces from the diverse cultures it was impacted in the past. The Spaniards love to celebrate all festivals in full costumes with the highest form of merry making although there are religious festivals which demand a more solemn approach but these too end up with a lot of festivity.

Festivals at Santiago

Traditions are heavily inculcated into the hearts of the locals from centuries ago; one of the most celebrated fiestas from traditions is Semana Santa or Easterweek which is celebrated in most of Spanish cities and towns with colorful and impressive processions. Santiago is one of these Spanish cities which uphold the Easter celebrations.

May is an exciting month in Santiago which celebrates the grand Feria del Ganado; this festival is celebrated over 10 days with folkloristic performances and regional culinary presentations. This festival allows one and all to enjoy the folklore presentations and taste the local cuisines around the region.

The important Festival of the Apostle takes place in July in Santiago; great firework displays are shown at the cathedral’s Obradoiro front door. Mass on the following day sports a large incense font fixed at the cathedral’s ceiling with a rope to allow it to swing through the cathedral’s nave.

August and September months would have plenty of musical concerts in conjunction with the Classical Music Festival in Santiago.

Festivals at Burgos

Folklore is vibrantly active in Burgos which has been impacted by various origins. The diverse archaic traditions can be traced back to the first cultures established on the Iberian Peninsula with the Moors and Romans coming on with their own.

The numerous “fiestas” of Burgos are very different in their characteristics; while some are solemn and religious, others are vibrant and informal. Most festivals end up with a lot of merry making that includes music, dancing and gastronomy.

Easter Week is one of the more important fiestas celebrated in Burgos as with many Spanish cities and towns due to its religious implications. There is great solemnity on Good Friday with a lot of revelry on Sunday.

The Corpus Christi fiesta tossa is another huge festival celebrated in Burgos. This festival is celebrated as a reminder of the victory over the Moors in 1212. are colorfThere ul processions and a lot of merry making. Participants are donned in traditional outfit while horse coaches are adorned with flowers and ornaments.

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Growing Tourism in Fuerteventura

The name ‘Fuerteventura’ may be a mouthful but it contains the same wealth of offering to all who seek an ultimate holiday experience. Fuerteventura belongs to Canary Islands that lie close to Africa.

Origins

Fuerteventura came about when a huge volcanic eruption happened twenty million years ago. The natural volcanic forces with wind, rain and soil erosion activities shaped Fuerteventura Island.

This island is in a strategic location at the tropics which offer pleasant climate and white sandy beaches that surround the island with clear turquoise waters. Its annual average temperature is only 22º C which makes it a delight to holiday on this idyllic island.

The cool constant breeze from Sahara dessert makes Fuerteventura a surfer’s paradise as well as for kite surfing. It is the oldest Atlantic island in this cluster of islands. It last experienced a volcanic eruption five million years ago.

Civilizations

The first inhabitants at Fuerteventura were supposedly from North Africa according to archaeological discoveries. The Phoenicians brought their civilization on Fuerteventura at 11B.C. according to Homer’s “Odyssey”.

There were many varied expeditions undertaken by the Spanish as well as the Portuguese until 1405 when Fuerteventura was conquered by the French with a new name ‘Betancuria’.

Spain regained control of Fuerteventura with Queen Isabel II announcing a free trade zone on Fuerteventura in 1850. It was called Puerto Del Rosario.

But Fuerteventura finally gained its independence during the 20th century when it joined Gran Canaria province. The island became a tourist resort with an airport built in 1940. Since then, Fuerteventura flourished as a popular idyllic holiday destination for tourists. It now belongs to the Canary Islands Community.

Attractions

The main industry at Fuerteventura is tourism with its attractive tropical temperature throughout the year. European tourists favor Fuerteventura as this island can be reached easily by plane in two hours. One can spend hours on the beaches with plenty of water activities such as scuba diver, deep sea fishing, snorkeling and wind surfing.

Fuerteventura ferienhäuser in Benissa is also a fisherman’s paradise with big game fishing as one can find a myriad of fish in these Atlantic waters; whales, dolphins, marlins, rare turtles and the like have been sighted.

The natural landscapes on the island are awesome with lush vast plains and volcanic mountains with lava flow remnants that form preserved natural forests for the exotic and endangered species.

Avid golfers can have a field day on their game with fantastic golf courses specially designed to challenge their game skills.

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The Past & Present of La Coruna City

La Coruña sits at the northwest portion of Spain with its Galician name, A Coruña. This region showcases vast green landscapes with rich Celtic-Roman heritage. There is a mystical allure to La Coruña as there are the old and the natural at their best.

La Coruña’s neighbors are Biscay Bayon at its north, Pontevedra at its south, Lugo at its east and the grand Atlantic Ocean at its west. Hence, the climate is pleasant with frequent rain for this natural Atlantic island.

The Past

La Coruña was believed to be founded by the mythical Hercules according to local folklore. The Celts, Phoenicians and Romans came, conquered and traded at La Coruña during 2B.C. for its rich minerals. The city was greatly impacted by the Roman Empire in language, religion and culture. Its strategic location made La Coruña important in various industries such as fishing and textile manufacturing. It functioned as a vibrant commercial port and a point of departures for the many expeditions in charting new sea routes as well as new territory discoveries. Hence, the La Coruña port made Spain renowned in sailing.

The famous Spanish Armada or the Armada Invincible visited La Coruña port with Sir Francis Drake’s reprisal. La Coruña was given city status in 1446 by King Juan II who also authorized free commerce with England. This gave La Coruña the opportunity to venture into international trade and boomed in its economy and international stardom.

The Present

Today, La Coruña is a modern city with a lot of modernistic architecture which came up mostly during the 19th century. The old and new architectures blend well in La Coruña with traditional industries such as fishing and agricultural co-existing with new industries such as textile and fashion; all of which have been successful through time.

La Coruña has an international airport that is served by various airlines to bring in international tourists every year. Its top division “Deportivo de la Coruña” football club is well received by the local as well as foreign football fans.

La Coruña ferienhäuser Tordera offers a delightful 14 degrees Celsius climate with sunshine and soft sandy beaches to the delight of the tourists and locals. Abundant water activities like fishing, sailing, surfing, scuba diving and snorkeling draw many to the beaches every year.

Although La Coruña is upbeat and modern, there are still the local activities happening every day at the port where troughs of fresh catches come in via local fishing boats for an exciting fish auction.  

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The Beauty of Galicia

Galicia is renowned as “the land of a thousand rivers” in Spain. These rivers flow through the whole region of Galicia via mountains and coasts to form the “Rias”. Hence, great contrasts are found at the different landscapes of Galicia; the beaches are smooth with their fine sand and warm waters while the cliffs are high and dangerous as with Costa de la Muerte which is nicknamed “coast of death”.

Galicia’s capital is Santiago de Compostela with four provinces: A Coruña, Ourense, Pontevedra and Lugo. Its climate is temperate from 5 degrees Celsius in winter to 20 degrees Celsius in the summer.

Rias offering

The manifold rivers plying through Galicia form its abundant riches in water supply that brings on the Rias characteristic. In Rias Altas, there are magnificent beaches with booming towns and quaint fishing villages co-existing. In Rías Baixas, one can enjoy the natural preserves and balnearies with lots of vast green landscapes as well as romantic fishing villages.

Rich Cultures

Galicia enjoys many rich cultures which were deposited by early settlers and conquerors such as the Celtics and the Romans. The Lugo walls were built by the Romans along with the Ourense Bridge and Hercules Tower.

Middle Ages are stamped with the discovery of Apostle Santiago or Saint James’ tomb where thousands of pilgrims pay tribute to the saint every year at the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. The world renowned Way of Santiago is also called by other names such as Camino Jacobeo and the Way of St. James. Hence, it is not surprising that there are many churches, chapels and monasteries built that are based on this historical-religious value. The diverse cultures in Galicia are graciously embraced.

Rich Folklore

The rich Galician folklore reflects the obvious Celtic and Gaelic origins; one of the characteristic musical instruments used in the folklore is the Gaita or the bagpipe. Many festivals and fiestas have music and dancing which use the Gaita. Many folkloristic groups have been formed to keep the traditions alive especially during the various fiestas. They are active in presentations of folklore music during the various occasions with the full traditional costumes donned.

The ferienhaus Tordera Galician population is still actively involved in their traditions and folklore which have been passed down from generation to generation by word of mouth. Historical events are re-enacted during the respective festivals to commemorate the rich culture and influences although there may be some blends.

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Interesting Small Towns in Spain

Spain is a vast country with plenty of fantastic and interesting cities to visit; there would never be a lack of sights for tourists in all of Spain’s cities. These may be more than enough to occupy the tourists but they would miss out on many delightful traditional and cultural offerings which smaller towns in Spain offer.

Hence, the wise tourists would consider visiting some of the smaller towns to enjoy the many local offerings such as culture, tradition and local cuisine.

La Coruna Interesting sights

La Coruna may not be most first-time-to-Spain tourists’ choice with the plethora of big cities in Spain. But it has lot of interesting sights which are unique and different from that which is found in big Spanish cities.

One of the La Coruna’s highlights is the 2000-year old Roman Tower of Hercules with 239 steps; it is purportedly the world’s most ancient lighthouse which has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Other interesting landmark at La Coruña is the San Antón Castle which is actually a 16th century fortress on an island nearby. One would also be impressed with Castillo de San Diego which has been transformed into a local archaeological museum at the other side of the island near a bay.

The town aquarium known as “La Casa de los Peces” is known to house over 300 marine species. One would also find beautifully structured churches and cathedrals with a colorful history.

Nightlife is not lacking with the vibrancy of music filling the air right after sunset. There is a plethora of bars and pubs along the narrow streets of La Coruña.  The beer flows freely with loud cheers and singing from live entertainment with local recipes.

A Coruña

A Coruña is another place in Spain which has high economical importance although it may be further away from many larger cities in Spain. Its location is at a peninsula which unearths a lot of historical monuments such as the archaeologically aesthetic Romanesque churches, an old quarter and a synagogue.

There are many stone structures such as palaces that are a great contrast with other fragile buildings.

Vigo & Lugo

Another town in Galicia ferienwohnung Pollenca that has an important function is Vigo. It may be much smaller than other cities in Spain but it is considered heavily populated with an important port that is still very functional. It also has an ancient charming quarter that has been well preserved.

Similarly, Lugo has perfectly preserved Roman walls surrounding it. Beautiful cathedrals from Romanesque architecture bring more aesthetics to the town.

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The Full Excitement at Ronda

Ronda is well known as the ‘town of dreams’ in its location at the Serranía de Ronda mountain range. It is close at the canyon’s edge which makes its position most exciting and panoramic. The canyon is 70 m wide and 120 m deep.

Every tourist who visited Ronda would give it all praises although it is 60 km from Marbella. There are numerous narrow mountain streets to pass through before Ronda looms mystically before their very eyes. Its appearance never fails to awe its beholders.

Picturesque

There is basically one word to describe Ronda – picturesque. Every sight leading to Ronda is stunning natural landscape with the breathtaking bridge crossing over to this town. Beautiful environment aside, there is the local stone bullring that is unique in the whole of Spain.

The various Moorish architectural structures stand as a reminder to past glories while the modern structures in Ronda like its large central square presents modern facilities and amenities such as restaurants and shops.

The surrounding mountain range poses to be awesome and majestic in the background to give Ronda the panoramic display and freshness. Ronda also sports a Mercadillo quarter that sprouted alongside the Christian re-conquest; there are some ancient monuments which showcase the times of old such as the well preserved inn and the most ancient building; the 16th century Posada de las Ánimas.

Ronda has a plaza that was established in the 18th century Plaza de Toros near Plaza de España. These are located at aesthetically lovely cliff-top paseo where one can enjoy great views of some bridges in Ronda.

Traditions

Ronda is very much involved in the traditions of Spain such as the famous bull fights; this was where the tradition was birthed. The corrida ring was built in the year 1781 as one of Spain’s earliest structure.

There are all kinds of festivals celebrated in Ronda with the September corrida goyesca fiesta in honor of Goya; one of Spain’s astounding artists who painted many excellent bull fight paintings at Ronda. The festival is celebrated in true tradition style in 18th century costume. Visitors are allowed into the bullring for a view; the museum inside showcases history and interesting pieces of tools used in the tradition and festival.

One may cringe at viewing Puente Nuevo ferienhäuser Estartit which was a town prison that was last used in the Civil War. Hemingway purportedly recorded the incident of prisoners thrown alive down the steep gorges in his bestseller “For Whom the Bell Tolls”.

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The Uniqueness of Saint Fermin Festival

Pamplona has a small 250,000 population which swells to three times around the famous St. Fermin fiesta. This festival is celebrated by thousands of locals and tourists from all over the world although this is a religious fiesta in honor of Saint Fermin.

The highlight of this festival is the bull runs between July 6 and July 14 except for the first day. 

Eventful happening

Dozens of bulls are released everyday to run through the cordoned streets of Pamplona mimicking the medieval herdsmen with the townsfolk’s assistance. Bull runs and bull fights are deep traditions in Spain. Hundreds of young Spanish men would participate in this traditional annual bull runs with some indulging into the more dangerous bull fights in the bull ring.

The bull runs are well planned by the local authorities as they have been conducted over many years. Very few casualties have happened in the past in such bull runs and bull fights although some casualties have been fatal. Double sets of protective fencing lined the designated bull-run routes with police, ambulances and medical assistance well positioned for any emergency.

Corridas

Once the bulls enter the bull ring, there would be the paseillo where bull fighting participants would be presented.  There would be a symbolic act of getting the keys to release the bulls by two Alguacilillos horsemen.

Hence, the bull fight begins with the first bull released from the pent. There are three parts to a bull fight; the tercios, la suerte and suerte suprema. 

It is common to have three toreros with every torero challenging 2 bulls in every Corrida. The first tercio bullfighter normally uses the capote of yellow and purple while two ‘picadors’ come riding on horses with a lance.

The la suerte has 3 banderilleros who are to pierce a couple of banderillas into bull’s back.

The suerte suprema ferienhaus Estartit is where the bullfighter makes use of a piece of red rag called the muleta to showcase his faena or mastery of the bull by killing it with his sword in an attempt to establish the artistic symbiosis between the beast and man.

This would end the Corrida.

Festivity

The Pamplona bull runs add on the excitement to the St. Fermin festival where there are plenty of parades, colorful processions, music, street dancing and fireworks displays at night. One can hardly be a mere spectator in this festivity with the crowds going wild in the celebration.

Families are bonded closer and friendships are strengthened through such celebrations.

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