Click a link below to learn about some of the annual festivals held in Spain.
March 19 - Fallas of Valencia
May 1-3 - Cruces de Mayo
November 1 - El Día de los Muertos
December 28 - El Día de los Santos Inocentes
January 6 - El Día de Reyes
March 19
Fallas of Valencia
Fire, fireworks and fire crackers feature strongly in many festivals and there’s no fierier fiesta than the famous Fallas of Valencia. This is one of the biggest and most spectacular street festivals in Europe – one of those extraordinary and unique events that everyone should experience at least once in a lifetime. Fallas means “fires” in the local Valencian language and on the night of March 19th each year the whole city appears to be ablaze when more than 350 beautifully made statues are burnt to the ground. The world-renowned five-day fiesta has its origins in pagan rituals which over the centuries have become integrated into the religious festival honouring St Joseph. [borrowed from Spanish Living Group]
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May 1-3
Cruces de Mayo
Cruces de Mayo (May Crosses) in Granada and Cordoba where large crosses are hung to decorate parishes and the locals party in the streets. Cordoba continues the celebration spirit with the Fiesta de los Patios, a neighborly contest to select the city's most beautiful flower covered patio. [borrowed from Spanish Living Group]
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November 1
El Día de los Muertos
The Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos, Día de los Difuntos or Día de Muertos in Spanish) is a holiday celebrated in many parts of the world, typically on November 1 (All Saints' Day) and November 2 (All Souls' Day).
In Mexico, where the holiday has perhaps its highest prominence, the holiday has ancient Aztec and mesoamerican roots, and is a national holiday. The Day of the Dead is also celebrated to a lesser extent in other Latin American countries; for example, it is a public holiday in Brazil, where many Brazilians celebrate it by visiting cemeteries and churches. The holiday is also observed in the Philippines. Observance of the holiday has spread to Mexican-American communities in the United States, where in some locations, the traditions are being extended. Similarly-themed celebrations also appear in some Asian and African cultures.
Though the subject matter may be considered morbid from the perspective of some other cultures, celebrants typically approach the Day of the Dead joyfully, and though it occurs at the same time as Halloween, All Saints' Day and All Souls Day, the traditional mood is much brighter with emphasis on celebrating and honoring the lives of the deceased, and celebrating the continuation of life; the belief is not that death is the end, but rather the beginning of a new stage in life. [borrowed from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia]
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December 28
El Día de los Santos Inocentes
The 28th of December is Innocents' Day, similar in spirit to the American April Fools' Day. On this day, people play inocentadas (pranks or practical jokes) on friends and relatives: people make jokes hoping that the victim believes the false thing. When people get caught, the joker says: "Inocente, inocente!" ("Innocent, innocent!"). The newspapers and other media are in on the joke as well, reporting false news for the people to figure out. In some parts of Spain young boys of a town or village light bonfires and one of them acts as the mayor who orders townspeople to perform civic chores such as sweeping the streets. Refusal to comply results in fines which are used to pay for the celebration.
For sheer exuberance and entertainment, the Fiesta de Verdiales in Malaga outdoes them all. It begins around midday at a wayside inn on the old mountain road between Málaga and Antequera. Thousands of people converge on La Venta del Tunel to watch country musicians in 20 groups locked in a contest to see who can play the longest and loudest.
[borrowed from http://www.ctspanish.com/christmas/aprilfools.htm]
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January 6
El Día de Reyes
Spanish tradition has it that the Three Kings, los Reyes Magos, are the ones who on the morning of January 6th, el Día de Reyes, bear presents for all the children, repeating the ritual they performed after baby Jesus was born. Influenced by American films and TV shows, some families have decided to switch to Papá Noel on Christmas Day, arguing that this allows the kids more time to play with their toys. [borrowed from BBC Languages]
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