To say that in Figueres they celebrated their festa major for ten days is to
exaggerate. There were a couple of days
(work days) when there was only the odd institutional act. But the ten days began on a Friday and in
additional to the two weekends, it included a legal holiday (1st of
May) so that the following day, a Friday, was a pont (bridge) and many people didn’t have to work that day
either.
A festa
major -- especially one that runs for ten days -- is many things to many
people. Every city, town, and village
has at least one important festival a year, usually celebrating the feast day
of their patron saint. Some towns have
more than one patron saint. Whatever
religious significance these festivals might have had is somewhat diluted in
the modern age. Besides the special mass
and floral tribute, for the most part the festes
are about having fun and are designed so that everyone will find something to
enjoy.
Although I hadn’t planned on going to see the
children’s parade, it was so cute I ran home to get my camera and take some
(disappointing) pictures that I posted last week. What I was looking forward to was dancing sardanes, which I did on two different
days.
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| People often place their bags and jackets in the center of the circle. But here someone put their cane so they could dance unencumbered! |
I saw the animal rescue people (and dogs) and the doggie audience, a
motorcade of Seat 600s, a fun fair, the chess club, a meeting of lace-making
clubs, an arts and crafts fair, a medieval fair (which was also an arts and
crafts fair), two food fairs,. I missed
the castells (human towers) because I
was busy watching the adoptable dogs do tricks (we all have our priorities). I would say that a good time was had by all.
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| The Seat people loved that I was taking pictures of them and were all waving |
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| Artisan-made shoes |
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| Some dish from Galicia |
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| The famous Mediterranean diet |
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| Paella |
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| Octopus, my favorite. That's what I had for lunch |
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