FESTIVAL IN SPAIN - GANDIA - ACROBATS
One of the truly wonderful aspects to living here are the terrific festivals in Spain that happen periodically throughout the year. These, of course, are known as fiestas – which means ‘party’. However, the word ‘party’ does no justice whatsoever to a village or town fiesta in Spain!
Far from it!
A fiesta in Spain is, in reality, what most of us would recognise as a full-on festival – in which a whole area takes part. Streets are closed off, squares packed with entertainments, shows, parties, bands, children’s games and a host of other attractions. These will sometimes continue for almost a week and end, each day, in the early hours of the morning.
A couple of weeks ago, Gandia (my closest town) celebrated its annual fiesta. This was incredible (as always) and a time of life enhancing joy. Indeed, if you ever have doubts about the sheer vibrancy of native culture in Spain – and the value of living within a society that is markedly different from elsewhere – then you must go to a village or town fiesta! If you do then never again will you associate Spain with just sangria, straw hats, good beaches and straw donkeys…
The thing that takes my breath away is the sheer scale of local festivals in Spain in which virtually everything, amazingly, is free.
To illustrate what I mean, let me give you an idea of what happened last Saturday night when we went down to Gandia’s fiesta (bearing in mind that we paid not a thing for anything that we attended!).
We arrived at around 7pm to find the the town absolutely ‘rammed’ with people, of all ages. Setting off down the main Paseo, we passed hundreds of children with their parents playing on an array of specially set up children’s games. These were mostly games from the past and notable for their old-fashioned ingenuity.
Reaching the bottom of Gandia’s main boutique street we came across our first professional band. This was Brazilian, playing modern Brazilian rock and headed up by a bewitchingly stunning singer. Around us was a colourful Moorish medieval market selling Arabic goods and food.
Moving from the Brazilian band, we headed to Gandia’s main square where one of Spain’s top bands from the past was playing, to deep appreciation from a massive audience. Unfortunately, not recognising the music we moved on to the ‘Post Office Square’. Here we joined, half way through, a terrific and very funny acrobatic performance.
The acrobats having finished we wandered into the Paseo again – to be surprised by what looked like an SAS team pouring out of a first floor window! In fact, it was more street theatre and evolved into a very amusing ‘take’ on a Spanish Special Forces operation.
Drifting away from the Spanish ‘Special Forces’, we passed slowly through the main part of the medieval market which overflowed into several streets crammed with stalls of spices, meats, sweets, cakes, jewellery and objects of every possible sort. Seemingly on every corner were barbeques, kebab stalls and even Turkish coffee bars. Slightly away from this, we stumbled upon a further street with old fashioned arts and crafts being practised as we watched – wheel making, stone masonry, pottery, leather making…
Feeling like more musical entertainment, we walked to the close by Casa de Cultura and, after a short wait, spent twenty minutes watching a very skillful Spanish Celtic band (yes there is a strong Celtic tradition in northern Spain) play. Leaving this, we rambled back into the main Paseo where a wonderfully funny (and very slick) acrobatic team were doing an Edwardian high wire act – which was electrifying (not literally, of course!).
When the acrobats had finished we went further up the Paseo and encountered a tight rope walking act. This was being done by a charismatic Frenchman on a bizarre and very hazardous looking rotating (whilst he was on the ‘rope’) machine.
Wonderful! But, although past midnight, the evening’s entertainments were far from over. Still, all around us were odd, amusing or peculiar street theatre acts and wherever we looked something whether a band or show was going on.
A little tired we headed off to one of Gandia’s main squares (the Prado). Here a massive (but good humoured) crowd had gathered for what was likely to be a crowning event. It was. Within minutes a spectacular array of fireworks erupted from the tops of the surrounding blocks of flats, a band (mainly composed of drums) erupted and an extraordinary display exploded in front us. This was awesome and so anti-health and safety to make one delight in the sheer verve of the town allowing such a display!!
Terrific. Absolutely fabulous!
In one evening, seven completely different acts – not counting the minor street theatre that we saw, the medieval market, the children’s area (huge, incidentally), the craftsmen and the collosol fairground (which we did not go to!)…
Now that is a festival in Spain – a true Spanish fiesta and unlike anything that I have ever experienced outside of Spain. I should also stress that what we enjoyed on Saturday had already been going on for several days beforehand!
And, you know – one of the really wonderful things – during the whole of Saturday night, I saw no-one drunk, no-one rowdy and no bands of youths looking for trouble. This was as true of the evening as a whole – as it was for the time we left (around 2am!).
What can you make of all this? Well – that the very culture of Spain is alive and well and, at its best, can provide unrivalled fun and pleasure…
RELEVANT INFO: The Borgias and Gandia
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- FESTIVAL IN SPAIN – GANDIA – ACROBATS
