Over 15 000 fiestas and festivals are held in Spanish villages and towns throughout the
year. Many are religious, celebrating local saints, some are Regional and others
are National events such as Semana Santa (Easter), Corpus Christi and
Christmas.
Prohibited during the forty years of the Franco era Carnaval is celebrated in many Spanish towns a week before Ash Wednesday.
January
5th
January is Three Kings Day procession.
In Spain it is the kings that bring the children their presents and
although the official day is on 6th January, the Procession of the
Kings takes place the night before. The 6th January is a National
holiday and many shops are closed.
April
& May
Some of
Spain’s biggest festivals take place during April and May starting with Semana
Santa or Holy Week which is celebrated all over the country. Many shops will be closed and transport is
scarce.
May
or June
Corpus
Christi is celebrated around Spain. The
feast is celebrated on the Thursday after Trinity
Sunday so the dates change each year.
July
St
James’ Feast Day – 25th July – is celebrated in most towns and
villages along the Camino.
October
12th
- Dia de la Hispanidad - Spain's national day, also known as Columbus Day
November
All Saints'
Day, celebrated throughout the country. Most shops will be closed. Spanish people from all over the
country return to their birthplaces to remember their deceased relatives.
December
24th
Dcember - Christmas Eve
(Nochebuena), a far bigger event than Christmas Day. Expect most shops to close
early on the 24th and remain closed until the morning of the 26th.
25th
December - Christmas Day
- a quiet day, with most shops closed, though many bars open in the afternoon.
28th December - Santos
Inocentes, Spain's version of April Fools' Day.
31 December - New Year's
Eve (Nochevieja).
If you are walking the Camino Frances there is a
good chance that you will come across a special feast day or festival in some
of the towns villages. Most small
villages have their own, special feast days or festivals and some of these
don’t appear on official guides to fiestas.
If the fiesta is a popular one, you might find it difficult
to secure accommodation. During San
Fermin (the Running of the Bulls) in Pamplona, rooms are almost impossible to
find even in surrounding villages and the costs triple or quadruple during the
festival.
Another busy time is the September Wine Harvest Festival in Navarra. Although most of the festivities are celebrated in Logroño, rooms are booked out in neighbouring villages and you might need to book rooms ahead of time during the weeklong festival.
The Camino Frances passes through four main Regions - Navarra, la Rioja, Castilla y Leon and Galicia. Here are some of the many fiestas held in villages and towns along the Camino. The list is far from complete and dates might change with each year. If you would like to add a fiesta or festival, please let me know.
NAVARRA and LA RIOJA:
In La Rioja, Spain’s most famous
wine-producing region, the fiestas are generally held towards the end of
September especially around the 24th on St Matthew’s Day. The most celebrated,
and biggest, of these is in Logroño. Here the grape harvest is commemorated for
a whole week with parades, concerts, street theatre, ball games, bull fights, fireworks
and wine tasting.
Valcarlos : Pilgrimage of La Magdalena : April 25
Valcarlos : Bolantes Luzaide : Sunday and
Easter Sunday.
Valcarlos : Santiago : July 25
Burguete : Food Fair : September
Burguete : The bonfires of San Juan : Mid-summer night
Zubiri: San Esteban : August 3
Pamplona : San Fermin : July 7 for a week
Pamplona : San Saturnino : November 29
Muruzabal : San Esteban : August 3
Puente la Reina : Santiago : July 25
Puente la Reina : Pitchfork fiesta : September last week
Puente la Reina : Pitchfork fiesta : September last week
Estella: Virgin of Puy : May 15
Los Arcos : San Vicente : January 22
Viana: San Felices O De La Fundación : February
Viana: La Virgen
De Cuevas : Easter Monday
Viana: Santa María Magdalena : July 22
Viana: Virgen de Nieva: September 7 for one week
Viana: Virgen de Nieva: September 7 for one week
Logrono:
St Barnabas (Patron Saint) : June 11
Logrono : Wine Harvest Festival : Mid September for 7 days
Najera: San Prudencio : April
28
Najera : San Juan y San Pedro : June 24 to 29
Najera: San Juan Mártir y
Najera: Santa María La Real 16 to
19 September
Santo Domingo de la Calzada: Santo Domingo: May 12
CASTILLA and LEÓN
Villoria
: Lunes de Aguas: April 8 – 12
Belorado
: la Virgen de Belen : January 25
Belorado:
San Vitores : August 25 - 26
Belorado
:Accion de Gracias: September 1st
Sunday 5 days
San
Juan de Ortega: Romeria Monasterio de San Juan:June 1st Saturday
Attapuerca:
Battle Navarra vs Castilla August - penultimate Sunday
Attapuerca
: Festival of Accion de Gracias :August 24 & 25th
Burgos : San Anton :
January 17
Burgos : San Lesmes : Last
Sunday in January
Burgos : Carnaval : February
Burgos : Burgos Carnaval
: Start of Lent
Burgos : Pedro and San
Pablo : July 6 for one week
Hontanas : Immaculate Conception : December 8
Castrojeriz : San Juan : June
Castrojeriz : Garlic festival : July
18
Castrojeriz : El Sejo : September
Boadilla : San
Genaro : September 19
Fromista : San Telmo: After Easter Sunday
Fromista : The
Virgen del Otero : September 8
Villacarza del Sirga : Nuestra Señora del Rio : June 8th
– 10
Villacarza del Sirga : la Virgen Blanca
: August 15
Carrion de los Condes : Carnaval : Before Ash Wednesday
Carrion de los Condes : Fiestas de San Zoilo: August
Carrion de los Condes : Our Lady of Bethlehem: September 8th
Sahagun : Romeria la Virgen del Puente/San Marcos : April
25
Sahagun: San Jaun : May 31 –
3rd June
Sahagun : Corpus Christi : June
10
Sahagun : San Antonio : June 13
Sahagun : Asuncion de
Nuestra Señora : August
Sahagun : Pilgrimage of Bread & Cheese : October 5
Calzada del Coto : San Roque : August 16
Calzada del Coto : San Esteban : December 26
Bercianos : St Vincent : January 21 – 24
El Burgo Ranero : San Isidro : May
15
El Burgo Ranero : San Pedro Apóstol : June 29
Mansilla de las Mulas : Feast of
Slaughter : February 10
Mansilla de las Mulas : Dia De
Asturias : August 15
Mansilla de las Mulas :
De
La Virgen De Gracia : Sunday after 8 September
Leon : Carnaval : End January/1st week February
Leon : San Juan and San Pedro : June 21
Leon
: San Marcelo : October: 28
Leon : San Froilán : October 5
La Virgen del
Camino : La Virgen: September
14 - 16
La
Virgen del Camino : San Miguel: September
29th
La
Virgen del Camino : San Froilán : October
5th
Hospital de Orbigo: Romeria of Nuestra Señora del Rio: February 3
Hospital Órbigo : Honroso: End of June
Astorga:
Carnaval: February
Astorga:
Virgin of Castrotierra: June
Astorga: Fiestas of Astures & Romans: Last week July
Astorga:
Santa Marta: August
Astorga:
Romeria of la Zuiza/ Batalla de Clavijo: Every 3 years
Astorga: Santa Martas : Last
Week of August
Santa
Catalina de Somoza: Festival: August 1st week
Riego de Ambrós: Corpus Christi's
Riego de Ambrós: Mary Magdalene: July 22
Molinaseca: Our Lady of Sorrows: August 15 - 18
Molinaseca: Water Festival: August 17
Ponferrada: Carnaval: February
Ponferrada: Noche Templaria : Various
– summer
Ponferrada: Nra. Ms. de la Encina: September 2 to 9
Camponaraya: Virgin of Solitude: 3rd Sunday of September
Cacabelos:
Bendición del Pan : February 2
Cacabelos: Easter Monday
Cacabelos:
The Festival
of la Quinta: April 2 – 25
Cacabelos: Harvest Festival: August : Last Sunday
Cacabelos:
Carnaval
Villafranca del Bierzo: Santo Tirso: January 28
Villafranca del Bierzo: Fiesta do Maio: May 1
Villafranca del Bierzo : Festival
of the Tourist: August – 1st Weekend
Villafranca del Bierzo : Santísimo
Cristo de la Esperanza :14 September + 3 days
Trabadelo: St Tirso & St Antonio Abad: January 28
& 29
Trabadelo:
San Nicolás de Bari: December 6th
Ambasmestas: Virgen del Carmen : July 16
Vega de Valcarce: Santa Maria Magdalena: August 1st
Sunday
Vega de Valcarce : San Roque: August 16
Ruitelán: San Froilan: October
La
Faba: San Andrés
GALICIA
Piedrafita O Cebreiro: Holy Miracle: September 8 – 9
Triacastela : San Mamede : August
17
Sarria:
Entroido en Sarria: February 19 – 20
Sarria:
Medieval: June 23 - 25
Sarria
: San Juan: June 22 – 25
Sarria:
Santa Barbara : August 6 – 7
Portomarin: la
Feria del Aguardiente : Easter Sunday
Portomarin: Cristo
das Vitorias: September 1 – 3
Palas
de Rei: San Cristobal: July
Palas
de Rei: Honra Ó Ecce Homo: September 14 - 15
Melide : Feast of St. Anthony : June 13
Melide : Festividad del Carme: July 16
Melide : San Roque: August 15 to 21
Melide : Feast of San Caralampio: September 2nd Sunday
Arzua: Carme en
Arzúa: June
Santiago: San Lázaro :
April 11
Santiago : St. James : July 25
Corcubion:
Medieval Costa da Morte : July
21 - 23
Muxia : Romería de Nuestra Señora de la Barca : September
Fistera : Santísimo Cristo : April 21 – 15
http://navarra.fiestas.net/
www.leon.es/
www.laboral-social.com/calendario-laboral-nacional-comunidades-autonomas-fiestas-locales.html
viana has a bull running around the middle of september. i arrived in the afternoon and the only thing left was the cowshit in the streets. an old man explained it to me in spanish. when i referred to the animals as "toros" he laughinglydismissed them as "vacas".
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