Spanish Fiestas
The Spanish Tradition of the Fiesta is a celebration that brings together the community in both major cities and remote villages all over Spain. Each region and village has a few days a year dedicated to its particular festivals. Reasons for the celebrations are varied, ranging from paying homage to saints, to the remembrance of a historical event, to giving thanks for a good harvest.
La Fallas takes place in March between the 15th and 19th days every year in Valencia. Paper sculpture figurines called Ninots are built for the occasion and paraded down the streets of Valencia. These are often of well-known figures; politicians, celebrities or characters from film or literature.
The Ninots are then set alight at midnight so that it seems as if the whole city is burning. This festival celebrates St. Joseph. As part of La Fallas, at the Plaza del Ayuntamiento, La Mascletá takes place. It is the letting off of firecrackers by different groups in the locale, each trying to be noisier and more noteworthy than the last.
This festival takes place in Pamplona in San Fermin between the 7th and 14th July annually, and has been a part of the local culture since the 17th Century. The bull run begins at 8 a.m. in the morning every day of the week and bulls are released to run the 825 metres from the start of the course to the finish.
Crowds of onlookers assemble behind the double safety barriers and there is a festive atmosphere. Runners dressed in white with red neckerchiefs show their bravery and speed by running ahead of the herd, which includes 6 fighting bulls. Many bullfights are staged during the week at bullrings in the province.
La Tomatina
La Tomatina is a gigantic tomato fight that takes place in Buñol, a small town close to Valencia. On the last Wednesday in August huge tomato trucks arrive and local people and the hordes of visitors from elsewhere in Spain pelt each other with ripe tomatoes and enjoy haphazard street parties that go on into the night. During the festival, accommodation in the small town is scarce and many elect to wash off the tomato stains in the sea and sleep on the beach.
Whatever the impetus or celebration, Spanish Fiestas are colourful affairs, with music, decorations and a welcoming atmosphere. Make sure that your travels in Spain coincide with a Fiesta and you will not be disappointed.
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