Without a doubt a festival in any Spanish city or town will bring out all the local inhabitants. It is the best way to learn about the spirit and pageantry which characterizes the Spanish man, woman and child. And this last point is important to note. From a very young age as a small child the Spaniard is immersed in the animation of the fiesta!
Corpus Christi in late May; Holy Week in the week just before Easter; the Assumption of the Virgin on 15 August and the feast day of Spain’s patron saint, Santiago, on 25 July, are amongst the big holidays celebrated through all of Spain. It does not matter whereabouts in Spain you are located, you will undoubtedly find such things as fireworks or processions marking these dates. This is especially the case during Holy Week (Semana Santa) and Corpus Christi.
It is important that if you wish to attend one of the many festivals that you do some research. Most festivals tend to occur on the nearest weekends. If the actual date falls on a Thursday or a Tuesday, it is common for Spaniards to join this onto the weekend. So expect to get little sleep! Either that or risk missing one of the many highlights of the festival in question.
Many festivals in rural areas take the form of pilgrimages. The Spanish word for this is romeria. A pilgrimage involves a pilgrim's journey to some sacred place as an act of religious devotion. The trip to the sacred site is full of life and color. People dress in local costume and ride on horseback or drive on wagons.
Festivals in Spain are usually characterized by features such as music, diverse forms of dancing, various kinds of food and drink and firework displays. The more important festivals sometimes include bullfights, circuses and numerous competitions. For example, in parts of the Basque lands and Navarra festivals occasionally involve allowing several bulls to run loose through the streets. This is known as an encierro.
In Barcelona tall papier-maché effigies are paraded along the streets. These gigantes or giants are usually accompanied by walking heads or cabezudos. The walking heads, which are worn by youngsters or small adults, prance around vigorously and accost members of the crowd without warning.
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