Saturday, August 9, 2014

Festivals in Galicia



·         Corpus Christi.  2nd last Sunday in June.  Watch the incredibly beautiful and intricate ‘fumbra de flores’ (carpet of flowers) get ‘destroyed’ by local dancers and processions of musicians and religious dignitaries.  Great for people watching. Listen out for the banging of the sticks echoing through the narrow streets.  Everybody dresses up like its Christmas Day.
·         Ortigueira – Galician traditional music festival held every August in Coruna city
·         San Juan – held all over Galicia on 24 June, (food-wise it is famous for sardine)
·         Rapa das bestas (1st weekend in July, wild horses, once a year, they gather the horses to trim the manes, leads to big party
·         Monte de Gozo – Rock music festival venue near Santiago
  ·       Ribadaivia wine festival.  Every May.  Taste a selection of the best white wines in Spain.
·         Festa de Desembarco (Vikings)
·         Catoira Festa – 1st Sunday August, defence of the towers of the west and throwing wine
·         Festa de Istoiria en Ribadavia – mediaeval recreations, using old currency, and is a town with interesting Jewish history

·         For yet more food, you could go to a carne (meat) event, which sometimes also include pulpo. These are extraordinary!
o   There is one in A Peroxa  which happens on 13th and 27th of the month
o   Order the pulpo outside which is cooking in massive pots (pay there) and pay for everything else inside (total will only be about 15 euros per person)
o   Can also order Carne inside, which turns out to be huge plateful of communally eaten veal and potatos, ideal after a hungry morning walking, cycling or running.
o   Very rustic, wine served in the traditional style, drunk out of little ceramic bowls.  If you’ve eaten too much bread or carbs on your ttip, here’s your chance to have a (very!) protein based meal.

o   A carne-only one (no pulpo) is the Festa de Cachena, 1st Sunday May, celebrating the beef of the cachena cow in a natural reserve area called Entrimo concello in Ourense province on the Portugese border, the natural reserve is called Parque do Xure’s

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