Spanish holidays
Holidays in Spain are a way of life. A way of life which is followed by all the people. Holidays in Spain are celebrated in big cities and small towns; holidays are dedicated to saints and celestial masters of small villages, famous citizens who are known in the whole world, celebrities of local scale, times of the year, sports achievements, music, poetry – there is always an occasion for carnivals in Spain. In every region there is also an official holiday, as well as an extra holiday for every province and municipality.
If you travel to Spain by car, then you can easily drift from one celebration to another. And this is on top of all the carnivals in Spain, which not only make the country famous but place it in the leading position on the globe. The colorfulness, originality, innovation and generosity of spirit during Spanish holidays attracts tens of thousands of tourists from all across the globe – many people come here from different countries specifically for diving into an atmosphere of holiday traditions. In fact, tourism was one of the major reasons for reviving many of the older holiday traditions.
It is both easy and difficult to talk about holidays in Spain. It is easy because holiday traditions in Spain are very diverse and multifaceted, and regardless of the dozens of authors who already described them all, one can always find something that wasn't mentioned. The difficulty consists in the fact that nobody knows exactly how many holidays there are in Spain. Even individual streets in Spanish cities sometimes celebrate holidays which only they know about. And each holiday has its own history, tradition and unique spirit.
Holidays in Spain follow each other around the country continuously throughout the whole year. Specifically, many tourist find the numerous carnivals in Spain especially attractive. These are in Lanciego (Navarre) featuring mythological creatures Ziripot and Zaldico, in Cadiz, featuring a military orchestra, in Tenerife and Las Palmas de la Gran Canaria. In March, Valencia celebrates a holiday called Las Fallas. The holiday is very impressive, and the level of fun really goes through the roof when, according to the holiday tradition, big jackstraw puppets (Ninots) are ceremonially set on fire. During the Passion Week (Semana Santa) there are numerous religious processions – the grandeur and beauty of these procession is known especially well in Seville, as well as the cities of Valladolid, Zamora, Murcia, and Cuenca. Another magnificent holiday is called “The Maurs and the Christians”, celebrated every year in the city of Alcoy, in the east of Spain.
One of the most wonderful summer holidays in Spain is the Night of Saint Juan. It is worth visiting this celebration in San Pedro Manrique (Soria) or in Ciutadella de Menorca, on the Menorca Island (Caragol), in order to witness a parade of fires. In July there is a famous celebration in the name of San Fermin in Pamplona. During this time people run big herds of bulls through the streets, for everyone to enjoy the show. In the small city called Elise, in the south of the Alicante Province, a famous holiday – Misterio, is conducted every August in honor of the Ascension of Virgin Mary. Another typical holiday in Spain is the so called Big Holiday. Such holidays take place in late summer, starting in August and lasting through October in La Alberca (Salamanca), Vejer de la Frontera (Cadiz), Toro (Zamora), Ondarroa (Biscaya), Logroño, Soria and many other places.
The yearly cycle of holidays ends with the celebration of Christmas. During this time in Spain people organize traditional shows dedicated to the Birth of Christ, and on the day of the Epiphany (The Worship of the Magi) there are ceremonial marches and parades.
Regardless of the scale of the celebration, be it the National Day of Spain (Dia de Hispanidad), or the Big Flour Battle at Alarcon, Spaniards are celebrating with much inspiration and dedication to the festive process. Bright dresses, temperamental music, like the Spanish people themselves, the sound and lights of fireworks create a unique atmosphere of holidays in Spain, which cannot leave you indifferent.
