Spanish Fiestas
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Spain is particularly known for its fiestas. There are some well known fiestas such as the Sanfermines in Pamplona, which is the running of the bulls, Las Fallas de San Jose, which is the fireworks, Semana Santa, Easter Week and Feria de Abril, which is the dancing and singing in Seville. However, there are some unusual festivals such as the snail festival in Lleida, a seafood festival in O’Grove and a paella festival in Sueca.
The most outstanding fiesta in Spain is the Carnival. This takes place in late February and leads up to Lent. It is an over the top party with fancy costumes and masks. During Carnival, no one seems to sleep, even the children. It is very wild and extreme, with the most raucous parties held in the Canary Islands, Cadiz and Sitges. Tenerife has the largest of all Carnivals. Cadiz is known for its musical party and in Sitges, the parades with their bold and extravagant costumes are the main attraction.
The Holy Week in Seville is a large festival with many religious floats carried through the streets. These floats are extremely heavy and take months for the men to practice carrying then on the special day. In March, the Fallas festival takes place in Valencia. Papier-mache caricatures of famous people are carried to the main city square. On March 19th, these figures are burned in a traditional celebration. In December, the Christmas festivals begin. Christmas in Spain is not as commercialized as in some countries. It is more of a religious holiday with many different parades and religious gatherings. It starts on December 8th with Immaculada, the Feast of Immaculate Conception. Near to the middle of December, Christmas trees and nativity scenes are placed in the homes. Then on December 21st the Christmas lottery takes place and all buyers wait excitedly to find out who is the national winner.
Nochebuena, December 24th, is the most important night as the family gathers together for food and drinks. December 25th, Christmas Day is very low keyed and small children may receive a small gift, but not a large celebration typical in North America. The day of giving presents is Epiphany, January 6th. The festival known as Santos Inocentes or Holy Innocents takes place on December 28th. It is a time for playing practical jokes on people. The largest party takes place on December 31st and is called NocheVieja. This is a street party and at midnight 12 grapes must be eaten for good luck in the New Year. These fiestas are celebrated throughout Spain and are part of the national holidays and customs.