Weird & Wonderful
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On the eve of San Andrés day, the winemakers of Icod de los Vinos open their cellars to visitors. Meanwhile, local youths carry out an unusual tradition of sliding down the sloped streets on…
On the eve of San Andrés day, adults and children of Puerto de la Cruz drag tins and old pans through the streets. They gather at Plaza de Charco for the correr los cacharros, a noisy session…
On the 8 of December (Immaculate Conception Day), the Andalucían town of Luque announces the coming of Christmas in its own special way. Locals parade the street playing earthenware drums…
Founded in 1964 by German doctor Hans Schilling and his wife Marketta, El Bulli in Girona was voted the best restaurant in the world for the second year running in the 2007 S. Pellegrino…
Dating from 1786, the Fira de Santa Llucia is a Christmas fair held every December outside Barcelona Cathedral. Around 300 market stalls sell seasonal goodies, while nativity scenes, musical…
The Dance of the Mad Ones (Baile de los Los Locos)
If you consider yourself a bit of a nutter, then head to the Córdoban village of Fuente Carreteros at the end of December, when locals practice the Baile de los Los Locos (the Dance of the Mad Ones).
The Andalusian town of Cogollos de Guadix hosts La Carretá every New Year. The muscle-packed, exhausting fiesta involves the chopping and gathering of oak wood for a large bonfire held in…
Robbing of the Saint (Robo del Santo)
Caniles' Robbing of the Saint dates back to the 18th century, when grave-robbers stole the local saint's cadaver. The town now honours the patron saint with a fiesta resembling the chaotic…
Cow Festival (La Fiesta de la Vaca)
The Toledan town of San Pablo de los Montes honours its patron, Saint Paul, with a mixture of religious and raucous celebrations. The highlight is the Fiesta de la Vaca (Cow Festival), where…
The town of Almonacid de Marquesado celebrates Candelaría (Candlemas) and Saint Blaise's Day with a strange devil-themed dance called La Endiablada. Men prance about the Spanish town dressed…
Markina-Xemein's annual carnival is an animal-orientated affair, with a dancing bear and an off-the-wall medieval goose competition to keep things interesting. The morning celebrations involve…
Spanish pre-Lent carnival celebrations come in many shapes and sizes. In Santa Cruz de La Palma, the festivities feature the Día de los Indios, a day of Native Americans and 5000 kilos of…
The ritual celebration of Pero Palo in Villanueva de La Vera is an incredible spectacle of genuine Spanish culture. Every year the townspeople parade the straw figure of Pero Palo, dressed…
Carnival at Vilanova i La Geltrú
The Catalonian seaside town of Vilanova i La Geltrú is one of the few to have defied carnival prohibition under the Franco regime, and over the centuries the locals have retained many lively…
Güímar in Tenerife traditionally mourns the end of carnival with street-theatre show Las Burras de Güímar (The Donkeys of Güímar ). The curious performance portrays the common belief that on…
Gran Canaria's party of the year is the annual Las Palmas Carnival, spanning three weeks prior to the start of Lent. Don't miss the famous Drag Queen Day (Gala Gran Dama), which in 2009 is on…
Sweet-toothed individuals should try and catch Barcelona's Fiesta de San Medir, held in the artistic district of Gràcia in early March. Some 30 neighbourhood groups take part in a colourful…
Much like its larger, noisier neighbour, the city of Gandia, south of Valencia, celebrates the fiesta of Las Fallas in March to honour their patron saint, San José.
Twice a year, the village of Obejo pays homage to its patron saint, San Benito, with the Baile del Patatú (Dance of Patatú). The dance's origin is ambiguous, as it is a strange mixture of…
Every year during Semana Santa (Holy Week), the village of Valverde de la Vera celebrates the obscure festival tradition of Los Empalados (The Impaled Ones).
