don Quijote UK > Student Articles
  • Student Articles


Festivals in Spain

By Laura Ellis

Las fiestas are the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of Spain. Famous worldwide, it is clear to see that for the Spanish, a social life is tantamount, whether it be drinks in a bar after work, tapas at lunch or an outright party like La Tomatina. But what are all these celebrations for?

The main and most important reason is that of religion, la Semana Santa or Easter in Spain is celebrated throughout the country, the most famous being held in Seville. In this city floats are carried through the streets by church brotherhoods or ´Nazarenos`, a tradition dating back centuries. Each Spanish procession has its own characteristics and reputation, for example ‘la procesión del Silencio’ which is renowned for its evocative silence that surrounds it. Each procession however is characterised by an different image of Christ, related to the scene that it presents, as well as often an image of the mourning virgin Mary, allowing different elements of the Bible to be clearly shown. However it is not solely a Christian tradition; this week long celebration is also used to mark the start of spring in this southern Spanish city.

Writing from Salamanca, next to mention is la Feria de Salamanca, one of city’s most famed festivals, taking place from early September onwards. Starting on the day of the city’s patron saint, La Virgen de la Vega (the Virgin of the Valley), a procession takes place through the streets ending at the Salamanca Cathedral, where a ceremony of flowers takes place around her statue, to mark the importance of the patron saint for the city (ironically however, she did only become the patron saint of the city in the 17th century, demonstrating the pagan roots of the celebration). The following week concentrates on the very much less holy ideas of drinking and dancing, and Plaza Mayor is a continual hive of activity from dusk till dawn, if not all night, with live music and partying as well as fairgrounds further out of the city.

The San Fermines or Running of the Bulls can easily be categorised as one of the most significant and famous fiestas throughout Spain, in contrast to Salamanca’s more local celebrations and highlights the traditions of this great city. In early July, the city of Pamplona comes alive with bulls and bullfighting as the traditional run through the streets takes place, as well as the surrounding celebrations, and the number of tourists to the Spanish region of Navarre increases dramatically. The famous Spanish festival starts quite literally with a bang at midday on 6th July, and wild festivities attracting over a 1,000,000 extra visitors lasting until midnight on July 14th. However despite the hype surrounding the “Encierro”, the most important day is considered to be the 7th July, when a huge procession goes through the streets of Pamplona carrying a large replica of the statue of Saint Fermin accompanied by dancers, music and street entertainment marking one of the most famous fiestas in Spain.

Valencia, or the small town of Buñol at least, is famed for throughout the world for its own unique celebration on the last Wednesday of August, La Tomatina, a festival where lots of people throw tomatoes to each other on the streets of this town. Thought to have started in 1495, this celebration originally came about due to a small local fight during a procession, and since then more and more people have flocked to enjoy this different festivity to the extend to which now rules and regulations have been put in place by the local council to ensure the safety of participants, as well as the fact that the town centre can no longer hold the vast quantities of people, so now instead the tomatoes party continues outside the central area.

Visit one, you won’t be disappointed!



[ Go back - More Student Articles ]

Latest Student Articles

Bank of Spain

Rivers in Spain

History of Salamanca University

Las Ramblas, Barcelona - Spain

Famous Universities in Spain

Prehistoric Spain

Goya’s Black Paintings