Make the best of your summer holidays in Spain!

May 312011

FIESTAS IN SPAIN

I am struck now by how many times I came for my summer holidays in Spain and yet never really took advantage of what was available to me. Like most holidaymakers in Spain I tended to stay around the beach and the restaurants and bars close to where I was staying.

Of course, once or twice during our beach holidays in Spain we would take a day trip out. This was almost always to some heavily promoted ‘beauty’ spot and, sadly, usually ended in disappointment as we arrived to find ourselves surrounded by coach loads of other tourists. Everyone would be sweltering and the combination of screaming children, sullen teenagers and half-cut adults was enough to turn the day into a nightmare.

So, needless to say, straying from the beach area was something to be avoided unless the day out was arranged by ourselves – for ourselves alone. In this case, we would career off, in any direction, on the back of a hired motor bike in the hope of finding something interesting.

Generally speaking our days out alone were fun but not particularly rewarding. This was because we rarely found anything happening. The surrounding villages or towns were normally ‘dead’, particularly in the afternoons, and sometimes it was hard so much as a bar open.

Of course, like almost all tourists who come for their summer holidays in Spain we had ‘read’ the country incorrectly. Invariably we traveled at the wrong time of day and managed, with precision, to be always in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The truth is that during the long summer holidays Spain offers much more than just two weeks on the beach, resort cafes and nearby night clubs. In fact, if that is all you experience then you will miss out on a vital part of Spain that will enchant you.

I am, of course, referring to fiestas and, most particularly, village fiestas which occur predominantly in July and August throughout Spain. These fiestas are enormous fun, normally last about a week and sparkle with a combination of traditional rituals and modern music, bands and fireworks.

The thing is that village fiestas in Spain are rarely promoted in any commercial way. They are for the population of a given village, their relatives and friends and have never been designed to attract foreigners. This is their beauty and why, given half the chance, you should go to one. Certainly, you will be welcome as a complete stranger and I am sure that you will charmed by the friendliness of the occasion as much as you will be excited by the revelry and customs.

If you are planning to be in Spain in July or August make an effort to find out about any fiestas that are going to happen in the villages around your area – and be daring and go to one. They are so much better than a day out at some so-called over-commercialised ‘beauty spot’ – and far more memorable. For sure, you will be seeing the ‘raw’ culture of Spain which can be both fascinating and joyful.

However, be advised that the timings of fiestas in Spain can be odd to the North European!

Indeed, you may pass through a sleepy village ‘in fiesta’ in the early afternoon and wonder what all the fuss is about. The truth is that it will only come alive in the very late afternoon with activities starting in earnest after around 7pm. Meanwhile, any live music (which is almost de rigeur – and can be fantastic) will start after midnight (often at 1pm) and continue until the very early hours of the morning!

Nick Snelling – Culture Spain