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Spain is a land of cheerful festivities
and celebrations. More than 3000 fiestas
are held in Spain throughout the year
and with much enthusiasm people take
part in these festivals. Known the
world over as a land steeped in cultural
traditions and festivities, the festivals
of Spain are quite popular and many
people around the world flock to this
place every year to witness the spectacles.
Some of the major festivals of Spain
are Abril Feria, flamenco, La Tomatina,
Las Fellas, San Fermin, Semana Santa,
Summer Festival of El Vendrell, The
Festival of Sant Jordi at Montblanc,
The festivals of Valls and last but
not the least the Patum. A brief discussion
on each of them is as follows:
Abril Feria: A large number
of casetas (decorated marquee tents)
are built along the river bank of
Guadalquivir River and a fair is conducted
by the local people.
Flamenco: A dance form that
incorporates various Arabic, Indian,
Greek, Persian and Oriental music
forms. It consists of four parts namely,
cante (singing), bail (dancing), toque
(guitar) and jaleo (rhythm accentuation
and reciting).
La Tomatina: It is a world
famous festival. In this festival,
squished tomatoes are thrown at the
people and the rule of the war is
every man for himself. Both men and
women participate in this festival
with much enthusiasm.
Las fallas: A festival in remembrance
of St. Joseph, Las Fellas is a 5-day
pyrotechnic extravagance that is celebrated
in Valencia. Hige ninots (huge cardboard,
wood and plaster statues) are built
and set on fire throughout Valencia
and is a spectacle to catch on.
San Fermin: A world-famous
festival in remembrance of Navarre
capital’s patron saint San Fermin,
a bull run is conducted along the
narrow streets of Pamplona. People
run in front of the bulls and lead
them to the bull ring.
Semana Santa: Celebrated from
Palm Sunday till Easter Sunday, Semana
Santa is celebrated in various well-known
Andalusian towns such as Toledo, Cuenca,
Burgos, Valladolid, Segovia and Zamora.
During this occasion, people termed
as “costaleros”carry the floats on
their shoulders and walk across the
streets of Spain.
Summer Festival Of El Vendrell:
During the summer festivals of El
Vendrell, people light firecrackers
and is celebrated over a period of
four days. Lighting of the dragons,
forming of human castles and folkloric
processions walking down the streets
is a common sight during this time
of the year.
The Festival of Sant Jordi at Montblanc:
It is celebrated every year on the
23rd of July every year in memory
of Sant jordi, the dragon slayer.
On this occasion, men give roses to
the women and in return women present
books to the men.
The Festivals of Valls: This
festival mainly consists of human
castle formations and traditional
calcot eating sessions along with
family members at a nearby restaurant.
The Patum: This festival is
celebrated every year during the week
of Corpus Christi in Spain. People
disguised as Saracens march along
the streets one after another. They
perform many acrobatic tricks and
also play music to the cheerful audience.
For more information on the various
festivals of Spain and the festivals
the world over, please browse through
the pages of .
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