A Rookie's Experiences of the Spanish Fiesta

Having lived in Salamanca for over two months now I consider myself pretty well adjusted to the Spanish way of life. Nothing, I thought, would throw up a great surprise anymore. That was until Las Ferias de Salamanca began in earnest a couple of nights ago. I knew that fiestas play an important role in Spanish culture, and like many had heard a lot about the big events with San Fermín in Pamplona and the April Fair in Seville springing to mind.  

What then, was I to expect from Salamanca’s very own Feria which takes place annually between the 7^th and the 11^th of September? I had read that Las Ferias de Salamanca are celebrated in honour of la Virgen de la Vega, who has been the patron saint of the city for centuries and, according to legend, defended the city during the War of Spanish Succession in 1706. The festivities begin on the night of the 7^th with the following day taken off as a regional holiday (perhaps to allow recovery…) and there are a variety of performances, concerts, street theatre and processions that take place right through to the 11^th.

Wandering into town in the early evening on Wednesday there was a noticeably different atmosphere about the place. The centre of Salamanca can get pretty busy, especially at this time of night when the weather is nice and the locals pour out onto the streets to dar un paseo, but I’d never seen anything like this before. The casetas, booths representing local establishments selling food and drink, which had sprung up over the past few days were now thronging with people all making the most of the pincho and drink for €1.80 deals. All very reasonable I thought. Each caseta even has its own pincho de feria and they compete against each other to be awarded a prize for the best at the end of the festival. One such example was Sirloin in Coca-Cola sauce, which was interesting to say the least…

The highlight of the first night was a huge firework display that lit up the sky from across the river providing quite a spectacle. A bit of caseta hopping whilst sampling more pinchos and mixing it with the locals, many wearing ornate traditional dress complete with funny hats, eventually lead us to Plaza Mayor and the concert by veteran Spanish rocker, Iván Ferreiro.

The thing that struck me most about the first night of the feria was the sheer number of people present. It seemed like the entire city and surrounding region had turned up to celebrate and as a result the atmosphere was incredible. The festivities continue until Sunday with various events and bullfights, as is typical for Spain, taking place both during the day and at night. I for one still need sample all the pinchos and cast my vote. It’s going to be a busy weekend…