spain festivals

spain festivals

Spain is the land of fiestas. In every single city, town and village there is a festival of some kind which gets all the townsfolk out on the streets partying with their neighbours.

The biggest of spain festivals of international fame are the bullrunning of Pamplona , the fireworks of Las Fallas in Valencia , the mock battles of Moros y Cristianos in Alcoy , Semana Santa in all of Andalucia and the massive Feria de Abril in Seville .

In all of Andalucia there are bullfighting, flamenco, music and wine festivals whilst in small towns you'll come across all kinds of strange festivals such as a snail festival in Lleida, a seafood festival in O'Grove and a paella festival in Sueca. Of all the crazy Spanish fiestas that take place throughout the year, there is nothing wilder than the Carnival celebrations in late February.

The week leading up to Lent is a time for wild partying in some parts of Spain when the country plays host to Europe 's biggest and best Carnival festivals. La Tomatina tomato fight in Buñol near Valencia happens every year on the last Wednesday in August though the partying starts earlier in the week. The highlight of the festival is the tomato fight which takes place between 11am and 1pm on that day. The event has become one of the highlights on Spain 's summer festivals calendar with thousands of people flocking to this little Valencian town for this chaotic event. Fiesta de Moros y Cristianos (Moors and Christians) starting with the feast of the Holy Christ, in Valverde del Jucar (Cuenca) in January and ending with the "Moorish King" in Agost (Alicante) in December, almost one hundred and fifty celebrations of "Moors and Christians" take place over the length and breadth of the country.

The majority are found in Alicante where the festivities become livelier and more numerous as the days pass. As early as the 17th century, groups of Moors and Christians drove through the town accompanied by noisy bands, after which a "battle" ensues, ending with the triumph of the followers of the Cross, who surround the Moors and defeat them. Everything goes on amidst the noise of fireworks and the ringing of bells.

The Disguised Devils starting in February in Cuenca , Castilla y La Mancha.People of this village celebrate disguised as devils in this festival of prehistoric origin. The young boys of the town dressed as devils - wearing pants and jackets painted in bright designs, with large cowbells tied to their waists, and multicolored paper hats, which are replaced later on with cardboard bishop mitres - run through the streets, dance at the entrance and inside the church, pretend to wash the statue of San Blas, and march in procession with it to the uninterrupted sound of the cowbells. Fiesta de Verano starting in August in Malaga , Andalucia.

This typical spain festivals usually starts the second Friday of August with spectacular fireworks. Then, the feria takes place in the centre of Malaga during the afternoon. People wear traditional Spanish costumes and dance "sevillanas" and "malaguenas" in the street; eat fish, cheese and ham and drink a delicious, sweet, red wine. The fair takes place during bullfighting season, so one can see a magnificent contest in the afternoon.