Seven August festivals in Spain that you cannot miss

The festivities in Spain and in August are a reflection of the playful sense that, for all of us, has summer. With the good weather and vacation trips, we have a greater predisposition to have fun and enjoy social relationships.

But these festivities also respond to the tribute that the different towns and cities pay to their patrons, to secular local traditions or to commercial fairs. In short, there are many reasons why they are celebrated parties in Spain and in August. If you want to enjoy them, we suggest a tour of some of the most popular and crowded.

August festivities in Spain

We have prepared for you a trip through the August festivities in Spain organized chronologically. That is, we will start with the festivities that take place during the first days of the month to reach those that take place at the end of the month.

1.- Descent of the Sella

Descent Monument

Commemorative sculpture of the Descent of the Sella

It is curious that a canoeing competition brings together hundreds of thousands of people every year in the small Asturian towns of Ribadesella y Arriondas. In the section of the river Sella that is located between the two, the canoeing test takes place, but the so-called Descent is much more.

Because, although the competition has an international character and great prestige, the spectators also seek to enjoy the so-called Festival of the Canoes, which has been declared of international tourist interest. On the first Friday of August at night and on Saturday, the day the event is held, the towns of Arriondas and Ribadesella are taken over by visitors from all over the world eager to enjoy the manifestation of Asturias that is the Sella.

Already on Saturday, before the start of the descent, a peculiar folk parade through the streets of Arriondas and, as a ceremony prior to the departure of the paddlers, the Asturias, dear homeland.

Then, a fluvial train goes along the river bank following the test and, when it is over, a typical asturian menu made up of fabada and rice pudding, logically, washed down with a good amount of cider. Taking advantage of the warm temperatures in August, the party ends in the wee hours of the morning.

2.- Viking pilgrimage of Catoira

viking pilgrimage

Arrival of the Vikings in Catoira

It is also celebrated on the first weekend of August, although in this case on Sunday. It takes place in the small Pontevedra town of catoira, close to Villagarcia de Arosa and has also been declared of international tourist interest.

The historical framework in which this festivity is inscribed recalls the role that this small town had in the defense of the Galician coasts against the Norman invasions that sought to plunder the treasures of Santiago de Compostela (here we leave you an article about what to see in this city). To protect the coast, the west towers, currently in ruins. Likewise, the king Alfonso III ordered to build the call castelum honesti, which in its time was one of the largest in Europe. Thanks to all these fortifications, it was possible to repel the Viking attacks of the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries.

To commemorate all this, in 1961 the first edition of the Viking pilgrimage of Catoira was held. The residents of the town and other people from all over dress up and recreate those fights on the same stage where they took place.

But the party doesn't end there. If you dare to get to know it, you will also enjoy a medieval market, the representation of traditional Viking plays and even a dinner whose menu includes Norman dishes. Such is the popularity of this Viking pilgrimage that the small town of Catoira has become twinned with the Danish town of Frederikssund.

3.- El Mystery from Elche, a symbol in the August festivities in Spain

The Mystery of Elche

Representation of the Mystery of Elche

Around the middle of August, specifically on the 14th and 15th, the Levantine city of Elche celebrates one of the most curious festivals of all those that take place during the summer in Spain. It consists of the staging by residents of the town of a play whose origins date back to the Middle Ages.

This dramatic piece recreates the Dormition, Assumption and Coronation of the Virgin Mary and its origins go back, at least, to the 1265th century. However, local tradition itself places it in the year XNUMX, when the Christian conquest of Elche took place. It is written in old Valencian and includes some verses in Latin.

The performance takes place in the beautiful Baroque Basilica of Santa Maria and is accompanied by music and singing. Part of it is Gregorian, which shows the antiquity of this tradition. On the other hand, it is a short work. It consists of two parts: the Vespra and Party, which are staged on August 14 and 15 respectively.

If you want to see a unique party in the world, we advise you to attend the Mystery from Elche. Not in vain, it has been declared Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.

4.- Medina del Campo Renaissance Week, another August festival that you cannot miss

Renaissance Week

Medina del Campo Renaissance Week

The Valladolid town of Medina del Campo has so much history that its origins date back to pre-Roman times. However, its period of greatest splendor coincided with the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries, when the wool trade and its strategic location made it an important financial center. Good proof of this is the imposing castle of the speck, an essential visit if you travel to Medina.

Everything we have explained to you is recreated in the city between August 14 and 21 with the Renaissance Week, which includes more than a hundred activities. However, perhaps the most relevant is the Imperial and Commoners Fair.

For a week, the streets of Medina become a medieval town through which four thousand extras wander. These represent anonymous beings, but also famous people who visited the Castilian city centuries ago. For example, the emperor Carlos V and the community leaders, the Catholic kings, San Juan de la CruzSt. Teresa of Jesus. If you want to travel to the beginnings of the Renaissance, your visit to the beautiful Medina del Campo in August is a must.

5.- The Great Week of Bilbao or Aste Nagusia

Mari jaia

The popular Mari Jaia

There are many August celebrations that have as their central point the festivity of the Virgin of Begona, which is commemorated on the fifteenth day. Among them, the big weeks of San Sebastián or Gijón (here you have an article about this city). But we bring you the one from Bilbao, known as Aste Nagusiabecause of its huge impact.

The character that symbolizes her is Mari jaia, a figure created by the artist mari puri blacksmith in 1978. The translation of her name is, precisely, "lady of the festivities" and she presides over them from the balcony of the Town Hall. She even has her own song, Mari Jaia is coming (Badator Mari Jaia in Basque), composed of Kepa JunqueraEdorta Jimenez. Finally, at the end of the festivities, the doll is burned during a walk along the Bilbao estuary.

La Aste Nagusia It begins on the Saturday after August XNUMX and the Bilbao comparsas are very important. The festival site is organized around the Arenal and its surroundings, where there are gastronomic contests, musical performances and numerous txosnas. the latter are bars set up by the troupes themselves that are full of entertainment.

If you want to have fun, the Aste Nagusia It is one of the August festivals that you cannot miss, at least once in your life.

6.- Festival of the Pigeon in Madrid

Photo of the Madrid festivities

Two chulapos dancing a chotis

We arrived in our tour of the August festivities that you cannot miss in the capital of Spain to tell you about a party that is recorded in history thanks to the famous zarzuela The Verbera of the Pigeon.

It is one of the most popular festivities in the Madrid old town, since it commemorates the Virgin of the Dove, whose church is next to the Puerta de Toledo. It also takes place around the XNUMXth of August and, in addition to the procession and decoration of balconies, it is characterized precisely by its festivals. They are attended by locals dressed as "chulapos" to dance the schottische, the dance par excellence of the capital.

Consequently, if you want to soak up the most traditional Madrid, La Paloma is another of the August festivals that you cannot miss.

7.- Malaga Fair

Image of the Malaga Fair

Cover of the illuminated Malaga Fair

Although it is true that the most famous fair in Andalusia is the one in Seville, the one held in Malaga in mid-August is not far behind. Its origins date back to nothing less than the conquest of the city by the Catholic kings in 1487. To commemorate it, a festival was already established on August 15, 1491, which would be the seed of the fair.

The religious celebration that presides over it is that of the Virgin of Victory and, currently, it is celebrated in the area of ​​the Torres farmhouse, where the different booths decorated with red lanterns and flowers are set up. However, during the day it extends to all of Malaga. Already at night, the aforementioned area becomes a hive of people who pass through the booths and the attractions of the fairgrounds.

But one of the most singular events is the one constituted by the Verdiales pandas, musical groups that walk the streets interpreting pieces of folklore. All of this without forgetting the decorated horse-drawn carriages that pass through the city.

In conclusion, we have proposed seven parties in August that you cannot miss. However, there are many others that will also fascinate you. For example, the horse racing in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, whose origins date back to the mid-XNUMXth century; the Albariño Festival in Cambados (Pontevedra); that of Vitoria, with the curious descent of the Celedon; The Tomatina of Buñol (Valencia) or the Battle of Flowers from Laredo (Cantabria). As you can see, you have many places where you can enjoy the festive atmosphere in August.


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