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Gastronomic feasts
Monthly calendar of Festivals and Gastronomic Festivities (Spanish)
Feasts in Coruña
| Entroido- Carnival |
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| Celebrated 40 days before Holy Friday |
One typical festival celebrated in Galicia is Entroido.
Entroido is a popular festival which indicates the end of Winter and the beginning of Spring and it is held every year
between February and March. The period of this festival varies every year although there are five main days in the festival,
from Carnival Saturday to Ash Wednesday.
Each city celebrates it in different manners but there are a few acts that are common traditions. Some of these traditions
include the parades, the sardine's funeral and dressing up. It is a version of our Halloween here in the US except it isn't
dedicated to scares and ghosts.
| Rapa das Bestas- Taming the Beasts Feast |
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| Celebrated the first weekend of July in Sabucedo. |
It takes place in Terra de Montes, rich in archaeological remains,
particularly petroglyphs - prehistoric stone carvings depicting spirals, astral symbols, animals and hunting and taming scenes,
such as those on display in the neighbouring borough of Campo Lameiro. Herds of wild horses and cows move freely around these
open lands, which are also ideal for hunting and fishing. Everything is connected to the ancient fiesta of the "Rapa das Bestas",
where the paddock or "curro" becomes the focal point in the struggle to tame the wild horses, the essence of speed, sun and
life that are said to have been "fathered by the wind".
Feasts in Lugo
| Festa da Troita- Trout Festival |
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| Celebrated May 1st in Pontenova |
The Trout Festival takes place on the first of May, where visitors can enjoy this gastronomic delight whilst admiring
the finest arts and crafts the region has to offer.
Feasts in Orense (Ourense)
| Festa da Istoria-MedievalFestival |
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| Celebrated the last weekend of August in Ribadavia. |
Festa da Istoria Official Website
Ribadavia’s historic centre - above which stand the ruins
of the castle of the Sarmiento family -, famed for its Jewish quarter with its sturdy houses and arches, is the setting on
the last Saturday in August for an exceptional festival that recreates the traditional Jewish atmosphere. This town, which
also organises a Drama Festival, knows how to get the best out of its costumes and playacting, recreating an authentic medieval
environment. The maravedí is the only legal money accepted in the streets where craftsmen display their wares and where
we can all too easily come across noblemen, guilds, winemakers, puppeteers, the "irmandiños" ( bands of peasants), and even
executioners... The local taverns exude a special atmosphere that brings the capital of the Ribeiro region to life. If in
costume, you are allowed to enter the town's castle, partially in ruins, to view their original Torture mechanisms displayed
in the land of the castle that was once the dungeons. Some of the unique activities include a show of
| Festa do Pimento- Festival of the Padron peppers |
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| Celebrated the first Sunday of August in Padrón. |
The most famous produce of Padrón are its peppers (pimientos de Padrón), which are small green
peppers that are served fried with olive oil and coarse salt. Most taste sweet and mild, though some are particularly
hot and spicy, which gives its character to the dish and is perfectly captured in the popular saying "Os pementos de Padrón,
uns pican e outros non" (Galician for "Padrón peppers, some are hot and some are not").
About 15,000 kg of peppers are grown in Padrón each year between June and September. In 1979 the
first Festa do Pemento de Padrón was organized in Herbón, a popular gastronomic event that has been held every year
since, the first Sunday in August. The festa takes place in the carballeira of Herbón's Fransiscan convent,
since it was the Franciscan monks who brought the first pepper seeds from Mexico in the 16th century, which then were
adapted to the soil, the Oceanic climate of the Valley and grown with special techniques.
| Festa do Polbo- Octopus festival |
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| Celebrated the second Sunday of August in Carballiño. |
This town is located on the edge of the ancient roads that ran
from the Monastery of Oseira as far as the lands of the Ribeiro. It is home to the spectacular Vera-Cruz church, the work
of Modernist architect Antonio Palacios and which contains the essence of Galician architecture, as well as the vast Municipal
Park that runs along the banks of the Arenteiro, and which forms the setting every second Sunday in August for the Octopus
Festival. This delicacy is popular with travellers, and can be found at fairs, festivals and "romería" alike, although it
is the speciality of the pulpeiras from the parish of Arcos. It used to be prepared using the dried octopus brought from the
ports by the mule drivers, which they would exchange for the products of the land, and which served as the perfect accompaniment
for the "Cea Bread". A "Xantar enxebre" - a meal shared with friends and family - under the shade of the trees or in tents,
accompanied by traditional music and dancing.
Feasts in Pontevedra
| Festa do Albariño- Albariño Wine Festival |
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| Celebrated the first weekend of August in Cambados. |
A town of noble ideals, Cambados faces the Arousa inlet, formed
by the River Ulla and the mouth of the Umia which borders the region known as Salnés. This is an inlet of spectacular sunsets,
and lands that served as an inspiration for the poetry of Ramón Cabanillas. The landscape is scattered by those tall and noble
vines where the grapes of the celebrated Albariño or Espadeiro wines ripen. The sun terraces of vast stone manor houses originally
built as defence towers look out over paradisiacal landscapes. Cambados celebrates its wine festival on the first Sunday in
August, and its meticulously organised wine-tasting session attracts true gourmets and connoisseurs. This is a time for extolling
the delights offered by both sea and land in the very heart of the "Rías Baixas".
| Corpus Christi- |
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| Celebrated in Ponteareas 60 days after Easter Sunday. |
A fertile valley running along the banks of the River Tea, lying
between the Paradanta and Galleiro Hills, in the region of O Condado, and rich in archaeological remains from various periods.
The area’s bestknown festival, Corpus Christi, is held during the weekend following "Corpus Christi", and is famous
for its elaborate floral carpets. This is a delicate and sadly ephemeral art form, whose intricate multicoloured and geometrical
shapes are the result of a whole night’s work in which the whole town is involved, in readiness for the solemn procession
at noon the following day.
| Festa das Ostras- Oyster Festival |
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| Celebrated in Arcade in mid-April. |
Arcade lies at the mouth of the River Oitavén where it flows into the Verdugo at the point known as Salto do Inferno.
The river continues under the historic Sampaio Bridge, where the heroic soldiers fought out their battles for independence
from the French with their wooden cannons. The waters eventually flow into the renowned Bay of San Simón, complete with its
island that was the source of 14th century songs of friendship. The sea around Vigo and the Rande Straits played witness to
the galleons and their treasures in the 18th century, a source of fascination to Captain Nemo, fruit of the imagination of
Brittanyborn writer Jules Verne. It is here that the delicious pearly oysters are bred, whose virtues are extolled by the
town of Arcade de Soutomaior on the first weekend in April. The perfect time of year to enjoy the unique taste of this delicacy
produced by a sea rich in history and poetry, with the sole accompaniment of the tangy juice of a lemon. Visitors come back
year after year to enjoy the wealth of history and flavours to be found in Arcade and its ancient roads, guarded over by the
Chapel of Peneda and the castle that once belonged to that fearsome 15th century landlord, Pedro Madruga de Soutomaior
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